Those Left Behind
by Starr Williams
Summary: Just another story in my little corner of the Gargoyle 'Verse. Following Forget Me Not, it has been a few years since Goliath and Elisa's wedding. An unexpected opportunity arises for them to have the family that they both long for, but an angry group have their own plot that may put an end to their idyllic plans together. (Posting as I make some much needed revisions)
1. Chapter 1

Two days before Christmas, and the squadroom of the 23rd precinct police station was a cacophony of sound. The telephones were ringing on many of the manned desks, signalling that the craziness of the holidays was fully upon them all.

Temperature extremes caused people to go a little crazy. The harsh heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter seemed to bring out the worst in people.

Deep in the heart of Manhattan, New York, the large red brick building housed New York's finest. It was five in the morning, and this particular station house within the NYPD was buzzing with activity. Those who were just ending their shift grumbled about the long hours of constant calls, and passing their advice to those who were just coming in for their shifts that day.

The consensus of which was a resounding "good luck". They'd already been through the madness of their own shifts, and all of them were looking forward to the time off between the bouts of insanity.

Among the bustling men and women in uniform, at a nondescript metal grey desk piled high with haphazardly stacked piles of papers, sat a female detective filling out the last of her paperwork for the night.

This woman was small, measuring at a whopping 5'4" tall, and model thin. With her raven black hair and dark complexion, she had the exotic appearance that mirrored her mixed Hopi Indian and African American heritage. Because of this wonderfully matched genetics, many an unfortunate soul had been fooled by her delicate appearance and lived to regret it.

Elisa Maza, a detective with the NYPD was no delicate flower. She was a black belt in karate, a highly ranked marksman and was known to be a real ball buster among her fellow officers.

More than one male rookie had come into the station and fancied himself in instant love with the small female. Some even decided to take it upon themselves to become a "protector" for her, following her around in order to "help".

It usually didn't take long for them to be put in their place, however. Elisa was no doormat, fragile doll or weakling. Treating her as such usually just pissed her off.

She had begun her career in the NYPD as a beat cop on the streets, and busted her butt in order to make it to where she was. She was amongst the youngest people in the NYPD to pass the test to become a detective in a mainly male dominated profession, and she made it no secret that she was right where she wanted to be and planned to stay there.

Signing her name to the bottom of the last report on her desk, the raven haired NYPD detective kicked her feet up onto the desk and reclined back in her chair. Sighing in contentment, she looked around the squad room and reveled in the sights and sounds around her.

Elisa loved her job. She was working her way steadily up to becoming one of the lead detectives within the NYPD, with one of the highest closed case file counts and resulting arrest records… Thanks to a little help from her friends.

The clan of Gargoyles, involuntarily moved from 100 year ago Scotland to modern day Manhattan in the United States of America, had taken on the task of looking out for those who lived and worked on the island.

Their protectorate, as they considered it.

They had befriended Elisa, though why they had taken to each other so quickly was some kind of miracle in itself. Humans had not treated the clan well in the past, but they had all seen something in Elisa that had seemed trustworthy enough to accept her into their family.

Elisa was still unsure what had drawn her to them, why she had instantly felt a connection and a need to take care of them, but had never regretted a single day. She had questioned her sanity a few times, but at those times, the doubt had been about herself.

Never them.

They shared a need to protect and serve, the policeman's motto. To help those in need and see that those who would harm or take advantage of anyone seen as weaker or easy targets were brought to justice.

The Gargoyle clan had told her that she had been born with the guardian instincts of a Gargoyle.

Elisa smiled now, remembering the proud expression on the clan's faces when Hudson had made that proclamation.

For a time, the clan had lived in the large historical clock tower that had once graced the top of the station. That had ended a little over five years ago. The station had been the target of an attempt to kill the clan of Gargoyles. There had been many injuries and some structural damage that had required over a year's worth or repairs. Luckily, the only causality that had come out of the attack had been the clock tower. As much as the citizens of Manhattan had protested the fact that the tower was not going to be rebuilt, the NYPD had made the decision to leave it off.

The Manhattan Gargoyle clan had found themselves homeless. Again.

A former enemy of the clan, David Xanatos, had come forward, offering them a place in their original ancestral home in Castle Wyvern atop the Xanatos Enterprises building.

She had known and worked beside the Manhattan Clan for almost nine years now.

She had been married to Goliath, the leader of the Gargoyle clan, for two years now. It had not been the smoothest relationship, they _were_ two different species after all… But they truly loved each other, both of them had almost given their lives for the other so many times that they had lost count.

Even so, Elisa had balked at getting married when Goliath had first asked her. They had only recently found other clans of Gargoyles in the world, proving at last that the Manhattan clan was not the last of their kind, but their numbers were still pitifully small. Elisa felt that she would be cheating the clan of the chance to have more gargoyle children if she were to marry Goliath.

Once he had finally accepted the role of being a father to his daughter, Angela, Elisa realized what an amazing father he would be and that was something that she was not going to be able to do herself. He deserved that chance, to raise a child from the very beginning. A chance that he had missed out on with the Clan's last group of hatchlings.

Goliath had not agreed, and had made his thoughts loudly known. He wanted Elisa. He loved Elisa. Nothing else mattered to him.

The on again off again argument, combined with Elisa's own self doubts, had strained the couple's relationship so much that they had almost called it quits.

There was one night the argument came to a head. Harsh words and accusations had been tossed around, ending with Goliath storming off. Elisa had been terrified that she and Goliath were truly done at that point.

Beth, Elisa's sister, had taken Elisa out for a good, old-fashioned male bashing drinking binge.

Here it was, two years later, and Elisa still couldn't stand the smell of whiskey. She'd gotten her fill that night, and had not even been tempted to have so much as have a single beer after work.

Not.

Even.

Tempted.

What followed that night of drinking and male bashing had been something out of her worst nightmares. Elisa had been kidnapped by a longtime enemy of the Gargoyles, Jon Canmore.

The last of the Hunters.

Elisa had suffered a head wound, and had lost all memory of who she was. She had been gone for almost six months before she had been identified and brought back to her family.

Even after returning home, it had taken weeks for her memory to fully return, but eventually it had.

Once her identity had been returned to her, and her memories restored, Elisa had not only agreed to marry Goliath… again… she had insisted that it be done right away. It had been too close a call to her losing everything, and Elisa did not want to waste any more time.

They had been married on Christmas Eve, in the Great Hall of the Scottish castle that was the Clan's ancestral home, surrounded by trusted friends and family.

The story around the precinct was that Elisa married a businessman who travelled a lot for work, and when he was "in town", he worked nights to coincide with the timezones of his overseas dealings.

Only a handful of people had actually met the groom; among the trusted few were Elisa's partner, Matt, and Captain Maria Chavez.

She was happy to finally be married to the love of her life, but had still spent the first few months of married life still feeling a little guilty over the lack of children. Goliath had tried to ease her mind, but it was Angela who had ended up helping the most.

Angela and Broadway had their own mating ceremony only a few months after Goliath and Elisa, and Angela had become pregnant right away.

Much to the new couple's chagrin.

Angela carried the egg the normal time for a Gargoyle, and within 6 months the castle's rookery had their first egg in residence in over a hundred years. It had been a much anticipated and celebrated day for the clan.

Elisa learned that Gargoyle eggs normally take 10 years to hatch…

Then she joined in the absolute shock and awe when Angela's egg hatched in less than one year. Closer to a human's reproductive cycle than Gargoyle.

The best theory that could be made within the clan is that Angela's time on Avalon had perhaps had a little something to do with the rapid time between the egg being laid and hatched. Time flowed differently on Avalon, after all, and perhaps all of the clan's hatchlings would have the same speeded up "birthing" process.

Not only had the egg's hatching time taken everyone by surprise, but the twins that hatched from it made the clan's members almost pass out from shock. While Elisa liked to joke that she was exaggerating about the "passing out" part of it all, she was pretty sure that it was closer to the truth that any of the clan was willing to admit.

The boy was named Conner, and the girl Brenna. Conner resembled his father in everything except the hair. He had inherited Angela's full head of dark hair. Brenna was a mirror image of her mother, but had her father's aqua skin coloring.

They were a little over a year old now, and their poor parents had their hands full.

Elisa sighed. Knowing that she'd never have a child with Goliath and actually accepting it were different things. She was sure that it would come in time, but…

Realistically, her lifestyle did not really allow for children. She worked overnight hours, and prefered the overnight shifts. She was a police officer, a detective but still helping on regular calls if needed, and was the child of a police officer herself.

She remembered the nights when the news would report on an officer being injured or killed, and wondering frantically if her father was going to be coming home. She did not want to put a child through that.

Elisa sighed again. She kept making excuses on how she wouldn't be a good mother, but if she and Goliath somehow managed to have a child she would hold onto the little one as if her life depended on it. She wasn't sure that she would be good at the whole motherhood thing, but sometimes…

Elisa physically shook her head. She had spent so much time on the topic lately, and she wasn't even sure why anymore. She had known going into it that children were an impossibility, and lingering thoughts on the topic was starting to frustrate her, but the harder she tried to not think about it, the more it happened.

As it was, this was her last night of work before having a full paid week's vacation. She'd been notified a month ago that she needed to use a week of her built up PTO or lose it. Elisa made the decision to take the week of her anniversary off, and was looking at a week of rest, relaxation and time to spend with Goliath.

Getting to her feet, determined to not let her brain drift off in the direction it had been going, she gathered all of the night's reports and carried them towards the filing department. They would be scanned into their computer database for future reference, the physical copies would disappear into the vast basement room that Elisa pictured to be much like the warehouse from Indiana Jones where the Ark was stored.

She'd never actually been down there since the rebuilding and remodeling had been completed the night that the Canmore siblings had blown up the clock tower, but she figured it was just rows and rows of files and boxes.

Not her department, thank the Gods.

Despite the noise surrounding her, she clearly heard the Captain's voice call out over the din.

"Maza," the brisk female voice called.

Elisa turned to face the small hispanic woman who inspired both admiration and respect, with a healthy dose of fear mixed in there, somewhere...

"My office," Captain Maria Chevez ordered, looking vaguely irritated.

Tossing the reports into the rapidly filling inbox of the filing clerk's desk, Elisa wondered what had happened. Maria was one of the most levelheaded people that Elisa had ever met, so for Maria to show even a hint of something other than her professional, no-nonsense face, meant that something had gone sideways.

"Great," Elisa muttered. One hour from clocking out, and it looked as if she was going to get held up. She might not be able to get home in time to see Goliath before the sun rose.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time. With any luck, Goliath might still be around to help with whatever was going on.

Elisa walked into the Captain's office, shutting the door softly behind her.

"Maza," Maria greeted the detective. "Have a seat. I'll try to be brief."

Elisa nodded and sat in one of the dark brown leather covered chairs.

"Elisa," Maria said, somewhat apologetically, "I know that you were probably hoping to get out of here on time, but we just had an assistance request from the 19th precinct station. They have a number of their people down with food poisoning."

"Seriously?" Elisa chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her family friend and godmother. "Food poisoning?"

Maria looked disgusted. "Their station decided to have a catered Christmas party, and more than half of their people came down with food poisoning from a bad batch of chicken."

"Ungh." Elisa cringed, "I really hope you got the name of the caterer."

"I did," Maria huffed. "And we will be avoiding them at all costs in the future. In the meantime, there is a situation that has come up that they need a detective for. It appears to be a young woman who died of an overdose. They do have a detective on scene, but it is the only one they have. He is fresh out of the academy and still technically on probation, so they need someone there who has been on the job longer. He might miss something that you wouldn't. Their guys will handle the paperwork for it, unless you find something that points towards anything other than self inflicted, then you'll have to make a report of your own."

Elisa sighed. She didn't want to run late, but she didn't want to leave her fellow officers in need… especially when vital clues could be lost or missed if foul play were involved.

"Fine," Elisa said. "I can head that way now."

"You do that," Maria said. "When you are finished, call me, and I can clock you out for the night."

Elisa smiled. "Thanks, Maria."

"Give Goliath my best, and you enjoy your week off."

Elisa nodded her thanks, heading out of the office and towards the employee parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

Dealing with dead bodies was not her favorite part of the job. Not by a long shot.

She felt bad that a life had been lost, but she was mentally crossing her fingers that there was nothing more to it than an accidental overdose. She was good at her job, but she mainly handled thefts and crimes against property and persons. Deaths were usually handled by the an actual homicide team and the coroner's office.

Elisa would help out in any way that she could, though. She was a damn good detective, and she would do her best.

Elisa pulled up in front of a small, old, boarded up house in a known drug trafficking area. Elisa sighed, shifting her car into park. She was looking at the officers milling around outside the house, the coroner was leaning against the side of the building smoking a cigarette and his two man team were waiting impatiently outside as well. Knowing that what waited for her inside the house, Elisa resigned herself to the unpleasantness ahead of her and got out of her car.

As she exited her vehicle, a young man walked out of the building, looking a little green. Going on instinct, Elisa walked to the other man and introduced herself.

"I'm Detective Maza from the 23rd, and was told that you might need some help."

"Yeah," the young man took a deep breath of fresh air. "Thank you, detective."

"First death scene?" Elisa asked sympathetically.

The man swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm Travis. Detective Travis."

"Okay Travis," Elisa put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I was told it was a possible overdose. Did you see anything inside that would suggest otherwise?"

"No," the young detective answered, still looking ill, but sounding a little stronger now.

"Alright," Elisa said, all business now that the detective seemed to get himself together. "Let's go take a look."

She entered the house with the team. She had been assured that no one had touched anything after the body had been discovered. No pulse had been found, and the body had been stone cold in the wintry temperatures inside the house. It was still a few degrees over freezing in the house, but only just barely.

Elisa found nothing that suggested that the overdose was anything other than accidental. Toxicology reports would show more detail, but there was no suicide note, no signs of struggle or foul play.

It was really tragic, Elisa found herself thinking. The woman was young, looking to be in her early twenties. She had the dark complexion and dark hair that suggested that she had a hispanic heritage, but it was hard to tell in the little light that was in the house.

The girl hadn't been dead more than a few hours, but there was enough personal belongings strewn throughout the large living room that suggested that the young woman had been living there for some time.

Elisa phoned the property owners, and they swore that they had no knowledge of anyone living there. The building's water and electricity had not even been activated, so that young lady had been living there with no clean water or heat.

Sad, Elisa thought with a small shake of her head. Elisa was leading the other officers outside so that the coroner could come in and remove the body.

A sound, very faint, caught Elisa's ears over the police chatter in the background.

Elisa stopped in her tracks, and thought she heard it again.

"Quiet," Elisa snapped out.

Silence fell over the small group, all straining to hear anything out of the ordinary. Finally, the faint sound came again.

"What is that?" Travis asked. "A cat?"

"Maybe," Elisa said, slowly. She was sure it wasn't a cat, but couldn't explain what made her think it was otherwise. "Whatever it is, it must be frozen solid. Go ahead and call the coroner in, and I'll take another look around."

The men all nodded, and continued outside.

Elisa walked the house, careful to check every room.

After finding nothing, Elisa made her way back to the living room where the coroner and his two assistants were finishing up.

The two assistants were wheeling out the stretcher with the young woman's body encased in the black body bag.

"Alrighty, detective," the third man said, handing her a clipboard for her signature as the senior officer on the scene. "We're done here. Are you leaving with us, or are you alright locking up after yourself?"

An uneasy feeling had settled on Elisa, and she wanted just a few more minutes to look around. "I got it. Go ahead and send everyone else home. I'll lock up best I can, and the owners will be here in a few hours to file any insurance stuff that needs to be done."

The coroner nodded, taking the clipboard and walking out to join his team beside their van.

Elisa waited until the sound of car engines faded, and silence had once more descended on the house.

She stood still, just trying to figure out what was bothering her so much. The sound had not been heard in a few minutes, so maybe it had been an animal, and it had been scared off.

Elisa was about to give up and leave when the faintest sound came from her left. Elisa was startled to find a nearly invisible door to a coat closet. The door itself had been trimmed in the same moulding as the walls to blend in.

Elisa reached out and found the small latch to open the door.

It looked as if every scrap of clothing that the young woman had owned had been heaped onto the floor of the small enclosure. Elisa put on a pair of rubber gloves from her small cache she kept in her inner coat pocket and began sifting through the articles.

The sound came again, only slightly louder than it had been through the closed door. Locating the direction it had come from, Elisa focused on that corner.

Lifting away a green and black plaid shirt, Elisa uncovered a small body. The baby looked to be only a month or two old, and had a slight bluish tint to his skin.

She didn't think twice. She scooped the small child into her arms. Flinching at the cold temperature of the child, even through her gloves, Elisa unzipped her jacket, and held the small body close to her own body heat.

Once she was certain the baby was as covered as she could make him for the moment, Elisa grabbed her keys from her pocket, and practically ran for her car. She got the door opened, and shoved the keys into the ignition to get the heater going.

Once the temperature began to warm up, Elisa put in the emergency call to the dispatcher.

She relayed her position, asking for ambulance and officer assistance.

The baby was starting to move a little now, but the cries were still pretty weak. Knowing the best way to warm someone up, Elisa laid the baby on the seat long enough to strip out of her black tee shirt. Peeling the soiled clothing from the baby, Elisa put her coat back on, and once more held the child to her chest. She gasped a little at the sudden icy cold of the baby on her bare skin before zipping her coat closed once more.

She heard the sirens approaching, and heaved a relieved sigh.

The police officers made it to her first, but not by much. The ambulance could be seen approaching in the distance.

Elisa cracked her window just enough to be heard.

"Over here," Elisa called out to the approaching pair of uniformed officers.

"Yes, ma'am," the smallish female answered, altering her path from the building to the classic red car.

"Detective Maza," Elisa identified herself. "I was here assisting with an overdose death a little bit ago."

"Officer Green," the female introduced herself. "What's the problem, officer?"

"I found a small child in the building, and he is in need of medical assistance. Can you secure the building, then drive my car to the 23rd? I'll get it as soon as I am finished at the hospital."

"Sure thing," Officer Green responded as the ambulance came to a stop.

Elisa handed the keys to the officer, and ran toward the open rear doors of the emergency transport vehicle.

Once inside, the medical tech inside helped to extract the baby, a boy, from Elisa's coat. At the first blast of the cool air outside of the confines of the warmth he had been in, the baby finally gave a long, loud wail.

Elisa sighed in relief. She watched as the EMTs worked on the baby, hooking him up to an IV line for hydration and covering him in one of those space-age silver warming blankets.

She answered as many of the questions that the techs fired at her, but it was pitifully little. Not sure if it was for the baby's comfort or her own, she reached out and touched one of the tiny fists.

The baby grabbed her finger, and seemed to quiet down a little.

They held on to each other until they were separated at the emergency room.

Elisa knew that it was out of her hands now, but couldn't bring herself to leave.

She took out her small cell phone, and called her partner, Matt. Briefly, she explained the situation, and asked him to keep an eye out for her car.

He sounded puzzled, but told her that he would take care of it.

Elisa terminated the call, and with a lack of anything else to do, she began to pace.

A helpful nurse whom Elisa vaguely recalled seeing before brought Elisa a scrub shirt, making Elisa aware for the first time that she had been pacing the waiting room in her blue jeans, black satin bra and her unzipped red leather coat.

She must have been scaring the others in the waiting area. They probably all thought she was some kind of crazed biker chick.

An hour later, the baby had been seen by the doctors and given fluids. Elisa was allowed to go see him through the nursery window. He was warm and had a healthier skin tone. He had been bathed and was sleeping peacefully in a bassinette in the pediatric ward.

According to the nurse, he was underweight, dehydrated and had a horrendous diaper rash. All things that had taken much longer than the few hours that his mother had been dead.

But he was a survivor. He was lucky he hadn't died sleeping in an unheated house in the winter. On the floor. In a closet.

Elisa was so frustrated over the situation, and the thought that they had almost missed finding that tiny baby made her shake.

The fact that someone had created that tiny boy, and mistreated him so badly just flat out pissed her off.

The doctor who had been treating the baby came out to update Elisa, having recognized her as the officer who had brought the boy in.

"What happens now?" Elisa asked.

"Well," The doctor began with a sigh. "First, we call social services. They will try to get him placed in a foster home for the time being."

Elisa frowned. "How long will that take?"

"It depends," the doctor admitted. "Normally placing a baby isn't hard, but it is the holidays. The group foster homes aren't equipped to take care of a baby, and the families who are available are usually out of town celebrating the holidays. I've seen some babies here for a week over the christmas holiday."

Elisa frowned. She didn't like the situation, but there was little that she could do about it at this point.

As Elisa made her way outside to call a cab, she spotted the small volunteer run gift shop as it was opening its doors for the day.

It was then that she realized what time it was. It was after 8 in the morning, and the sun was rising, painting the sky in it's early morning reds and golds.

Damn. Elisa sighed, bowing her head. She acknowledged the fact that she wasn't going to see her husband until the following night.

A small, colorful display in the window caught her attention, and she swiftly turned towards the small shop. There was an arrangement of baby items on the shelves, most were for newborns but there were a few larger items. On a whim, Elisa entered the shop and bought a soft blue and brown striped fleece onesie sleeper with a small puppy on the front.

Her purchase made, she returned to the nursery. The nursing staff took the small bag and Elisa watched through the window as the small boy was changed into the warm pajamas. The baby was then handed to an intern who sat in a rocking chair to feed the baby from a small bottle.

Watching the scene, Elisa made a snap decision. She dug out her cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

"Maza?" Maria's voice rang through loud and clear. "I thought you were finished a few hours ago."

"Sorry, Maria," Elisa said, sheepishly. "I completely forgot to call in again. I am still at the hospital."

"I heard about the baby," Maria said. "Good work finding it."

"Yeah," Elisa said, once more wondering if what she was about to do was the right thing. "That's why I am calling."

Elisa heard a faint squeak on the line, and could almost picture Maria, her chief and godmother, leaning back in her office chair and bracing for what might come out of Elisa's mouth next. With a steadying breath, Elisa plunged ahead and spilled her idea.

After a moment, Maria softly asked, "Are you sure that this is what you really want to do?"

"I have the next week off," Elisa reminded her. "It might take Child Services that long to find a temporary placement home because of the holidays. The poor little guy has been through enough. He needs to be in a place where he can get some personal attention and more human interaction than just laying in a crib in the hospital."

"Alright," Maria agreed. "I have a friend who is a CPS Liaison. I'll give her a call, explain the situation and see if she can meet you at the hospital."

"Thanks Maria," Elisa said on a wave of relief. She was more thankful that Maria hadn't given her a hard time about it. "I'll wait here."

"Are you at Manhattan General?"

"Yes."

"Good." Maria said, back to business now. "I was just clocking out for the day, but I'll give her a call before I leave. She has an office there at Manhattan Gen, and I'll see if she's working today."

"Thanks, Cap," Elisa said.

"I'll send Bluestone over there with your car, too." Maria said. "That way you won't have to take a cab all the way over here with a baby, then still have to navigate home."

With a final word of thanks, Elisa ended the call. She went back to the waiting area, and poured herself a cup of coffee from the ever present coffee pot there. It wasn't _good_ coffee, but it would help wake her up a bit.

She didn't have long to wait, which was surprising.

Carly Adams, the Child Protective Services Liaison, had been in her office preparing for the day when Maria had called her. Knowing how hard it was going to be to find a placement for the small child over the next few days, she had listened to Maria's proposal.

Carly had then called up to pediatrics to get the doctor's opinion on the baby's health.

Finally, she'd gone up to the pediatric floor to meet with the Detective.

Carly had a stack of paperwork signing over temporary guardianship until a proper foster home could be found. While Elisa was filling out the forms, Carly explained that normally a background check and a home visit was required before such an arrangement could be made. Since Elisa was a police officer, and had been background checked and fingerprinted as part of her job, they could forgo that part and in this case she would make an exception. A home visit would still be required, however, and was Elisa available that afternoon?

Elisa agreed to the home visit at 2:00 that afternoon.

She was just signing the final page of the paperwork, when two nurses entered the waiting area. One held the baby and the other held a large diaper bag.

Smiling, they handed their bundles to Elisa, praising her for her generosity the whole time.

Elisa held the boy to her gently, feeling slightly dazed.

Carly smiled reassuringly at Elisa. "It's a wonderful thing that you are doing. I have someone in mind for him, but she is out of town until the first of the year."

Elisa nodded, hoping that she was doing the right thing.

Carly watched the detective closely, seeming to take in every minute detail of emotion that crossed Elisa's face. Whatever the CPS Liaison found there, she seemed to like. She smiled at Elisa, "Maria told me that she was having your partner come by with your car, and he should be out front right now." Carly took the diaper bag from Elisa's shoulder. "This is a small thing that we do here for any babies that are placed for us. There is a blanket, a small can of formula, a couple of diapers and a bottle." She opened it long enough to remove a thick, crocheted blanket. "Let's get this little guy bundled up and ready to go."

When the baby was wrapped warmly within the blanket, Elisa and Carly headed for the elevator that would take them back to the ground floor entrance. Elisa spotted her car outside and thanked Carly once more.

Carly waved with the promise to be at Elisa's apartment at 2:00 that afternoon for the home inspection.

Shielding the baby's face as best as she could from the cold, Elisa hurried to where her partner was waiting with her red Fairlane.

Matt opened the passenger door for Elisa. He glanced from her to the bundle in her arms and grinned. "I thought I had misheard the Chief when she asked me to pick up a baby car seat from the equipment room, but I guess I understand now."

Elisa had forgotten about that. She'd need a car seat. And a crib. And more than the single bottle that the hospital staff had given her.

Elisa deftly strapped the baby in the rear facing car seat, then climbed into the driver's seat. Matt crawled into the passenger side, and sent Elisa a look.

"I thought that you should know that the mayor's office has already contacted the station. It seems," Matt said, settling into the seat to tell his story. "That their office has been receiving call after call from people about you finding the baby and your efforts to save his life."

"What?" Elisa burst out with an unbelieving laugh. "Are your serious?"

"Scout's honor," Matt said, holding his hand up as if he were taking an oath in court. "From what I heard, the EMTs called first, after realizing that you had saved that baby from freezing by your quick thinking. Something about you stripping half naked and shoving him in your coat so that you could warm him with your own body heat. Anyway," Matt grinned, watching as the embarrassment began to color his hard as nails partner's face. "Next came the doctors and nursing staff when you decided to camp out in the waiting room until you knew he was okay. You were prepared to stay there until you know that he was taken care of. Then Maria's friend, the CPS lady called, commending you for your selfless actions and taking the baby into your home."

"What?" Elisa burst out. "I only just signed the paperwork."

Matt shrugged. "I guess she called as soon as she got off of the phone with the Captain."

Elisa fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You're pulling my leg."

"Nope," Matt said. "Hand to God, I think you're up for an award from the Mayor's office."

Elisa huffed out a breath.

"To top it all off," Matt continued, "Maria has already called and ripped the 19th precinct Chief a new one."

"What?" Elisa burst out. "Why?"

"First," Matt said, holding up a finger, "They requested your help with one of their crime scenes, then left you alone, without investigating the noise that you had heard."

"I told them to go," Elisa protested.

Matt shook his head. "Doesn't matter. It is procedure, if not common friggin' courtesy, to not leave a single officer behind without some kind of backup."

Elisa sighed. Maria was in the right to call them out for what they did, but Elisa wished she hadn't. Elisa had almost given up on finding what was making that sound herself, certain it was a cat or animal of some kind. It was her insistence that sent them away from the scene.

"Good thing I didn't tell her about the coroner's people," Elisa muttered.

"What?" Matt asked.

"Nothing," Elisa said. "Forget it. Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah," Matt said. "My car is still at the station. I can catch a cab from your place."

"My place?" Elisa asked, surprised.

"Well, you're going to need help getting everything up to your place, right?"

It truly hit Elisa then. "I need to make a stop at a store," Elisa burst out.

Matt nodded. "I was wondering when it was going to hit you."

"Matt," Elisa felt panic rise in her chest. "What did I just do?"

Matt began laughing. His partner who had faced down everything from dangerous criminals to insane supernatural beings was about to hyperventilate because she had offered to care for a baby for a week.

Elisa glared at him, "Go ahead and laugh. Just for that," she announced as she pulled into the parking lot of a large shopping center, "I hope you're not tired. I plan on buying a _lot_ of stuff."


	3. Chapter 3

Elisa had made the threat as a joke. In the end, she really did buy more than she had planned on.

She got the essentials: formula, diapers, blankets and pacifiers. She then proceeded to lose her mind a little bit, and bought the baby a whole winter wardrobe.

She didn't need a full crib, but settled on a folding playpen instead.

And then there was Matt.

Matt bought the baby a "teddy bear" that was roughly four times the baby's size.

It took him three trips, the teddy bear alone was a trip by itself, but he hauled up all of their shopping spree items to the apartment just in time for Carly the social worker to show up.

After making a cursory tour of Elisa's home, pointing out a few things here and there, to keep an eye on, Carly was satisfied that Elisa's home was perfectly safe for the baby boy to remain.

"That's an interesting statue, by the way," Carly pointed out the glass doors to the large courtyard that dominated the building's rooftop. "Where did you get it?"

Elisa glanced outside and realized for the first time that Goliath had spent the day at her place. She honestly hadn't looked outside and hadn't noticed that he was there until Carly had pointed him out.

"Oh, it came with the place," Elisa answered smoothly. "I believe it came from somewhere in Britain."

"It's amazing," Carly marveled at the craftsmanship.

"You have no idea," Elisa thought.

Moving on, Carly promised to call as soon as she found out any information about the boy and his mother. She had gotten in touch with the police precinct that was handling the investigation, and as soon as the mother was identified, the baby's paperwork wouldn't be hard to find. From there, she would look into any family members that may be able to take the baby in, and attempt to find out what the baby's name was.

With that, Carly left and suddenly it was just Elisa and the small baby.

Elisa sighed. Seriously, what had she been thinking? Had she done the right thing, or would he have been better off staying in the hospital?

The baby was currently curled up on a blanket in the middle of the living room floor. Elisa thanked her lucky stars that he couldn't crawl yet, covered him with another light blanket and laid down on the couch to try to grab a nap.

By late afternoon, Elisa was feeling completely inadequate. She remembered her younger siblings when they were babies, but had conveniently forgotten just how little sleep that they had needed in order to function.

Elisa called for re-enforcements.

She called her mother.

A short time later, Elisa's parents were at the door with a contribution of their own.

"Oh, my god!" Elisa exclaimed.

"I knew that you would need a bed for the baby," Diane Maza explained.

"She went a little crazy," Peter joked, smiling at his wife. He lifted the large crib box and muscled it inside the apartment. "She got the crib, the mattress and four or five sets of sheets."

"Mom!" Elisa exclaimed. "It's only for a week!"

"Oh, I know," Diane brushed off. "But he still needs somewhere to sleep, and we can always donate it all to a shelter when it isn't needed."

Elisa hugged her mother. "Thank you," she mumbled into her mom's shoulder.

"Oh, my girl," Diane said, hugging her closely. "Such a big heart you have hiding in that tough little package."

Elisa laughed. "Don't tell anyone."

"No one would believe us if we did tell," Peter joked, grinning devilishly.

Diane rolled her eyes. "Well. Let's see the boy," Diane demanded.

Elisa picked the baby up, handing him to her mother. Elisa hurried to help her father take the heavy box containing the unassembled crib up the stairs to her spare bedroom.

An hour, one restart and several rounds of creative swearing later, the crib was assembled. Elisa and Peter made a trip to their car for the mattress and the sheets before declaring themselves done.

Diane was just finishing feeding the baby when Elisa and Peter made their way back downstairs. "Elisa," Diane asked quietly, "What is his name? I never thought to ask."

Elisa shrugged. "We don't know. The hospital will be sending out inquiries to the vital statistics offices to try to locate the birth certificate as soon as an ID on the mother is made. Until we know his mother's name, there is nothing we can find about the baby."

"Poor thing," Diane crooned, rubbing the baby's back.

"Well. We have to call him something," Peter insisted. "Calling him 'The Boy' or 'The Baby' is just odd."

"Tell me about it," Elisa said. "I'm hoping to find out what his name is in the next day or two."

Peter and Diane left just before 5:00 that evening after gaining Elisa's promise that she would call if she needed anything.

The baby, exhausted from all of the attention, had fallen asleep in Elisa's arms.

Elisa was beyond exhausted. She had been up all night for her shift, had very little sleep that day because of the baby, and she was really starting to drag.

The sun would be going down in an hour, and Elisa really needed to talk to Goliath. She was feeling guilty that she had offered to take the baby home and care for it without being able to talk to Goliath first.

He was going to wake for the day to a new set of circumstances.

Elisa tried laying the baby down in the playpen, but the minute she took her hand away, he stirred and would whimper loudly. Elisa wondered if he had gone so long without human interaction that he was starved for affection.

Giving in, she decided that the small child needed the connection to someone more than she needed sleep. Baby still held in her arms, Elisa laid down on the couch. She laid the baby on her chest, covering them both with a light blanket and turned on the television low to a quirky daytime sitcom.

She fell asleep almost instantly.

Elisa awoke to the familiar sound of her patio door being opened.

"Elisa?" Goliath called softly.

"Hey, Big Guy," Elisa called out quietly. "I'm here."

Goliath knelt beside the couch, gently running his hand through her hair. "The lights are not on, and you are still asleep. Are you not feeling well?"

Elisa smiled. "I'm fine, Goliath. Just very tired. It was kind of an eventful day."

The baby chose that moment to stir and make his presence known. The shrill cry broke into the quiet of the apartment.

Goliath jumped, clearly taken by surprise.

Elisa groaned. "Sorry. I think he may be hungry."

Goliath just stared at her.

Elisa sighed, struggling to sit up while holding the crying baby. "It's a baby, Goliath. Not a time bomb."

Goliath frowned at her. "I _know_ it is a baby, Elisa. I am just confused. When…"

Elisa couldn't help it. He sounded so flustered, she had to laugh. "A lot can change in a single day, Goliath."

"Whose child is it?" Goliath asked. "What is his name?"

Elisa felt the lightheartedness leave her in an instant. "Could you hold him for a moment?" Elisa asked, holding the squirming child out to her husband. "I need to make him a bottle, and then we can talk."

Goliath took the baby, mindful of the baby's head and neck at Elisa's insistence. The infant was working himself into a fine state, the tiny face turning a brilliant shade of red. The baby was flailing his tiny arms in his distress, and Goliath instinctively offered the baby one of his taloned fingers to hold on to.

He seemed to marvel at the tiny fingers that grasped his one finger.

Elisa, prepared bottle in hand, paused to take in the picture of Goliath with the baby in his arms. She felt a twinge that she wouldn't be able to give Goliath a child of his own. He'd be an amazing father.

Elisa gave herself a mental shake. She was not going to fall back into that funk after fighting her way out of it the first time that morning.

"Here," Elisa held her arms out to reclaim the crying baby. She cradled the boy in one arm, holding the bottle to the open mouth. The sudden silence that followed when he started sucking on the bottle was almost deafening. With a sigh, Elisa eased herself back down onto the couch.

"Go ahead and take a seat, Big Guy," Elisa urged Goliath. "It's kind of a long story."

Elisa began her story with being called into Maria's office.

Elisa told the story softly, so that she wouldn't upset the baby, but she didn't bother to hide her feelings for the tragic events that led to the baby's presence in her apartment.

Goliath's strong features mirrored her own shock and outrage at the mistreatment of this small child.

Elisa finished the tale as the baby finished his dinner. Elisa gently removed the bottle from his mouth, putting the empty vessel on her coffee table. She burped the baby and spread out a changing pad on the coffee table to change his diaper.

Once fed, burped and changed, the baby seemed content just to be held.

Elisa sat again, cradling the baby back against her chest. "I forgot how little sleep these little guys need."

Goliath blinked in confusion.

Elisa laughed in disbelief. "What am I thinking? Gargoyle children probably go into stone sleep with you guys, so you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Goliath frowned. "Of course they do."

Elisa chuckled tiredly. "Human babies, not so much. They sleep in short bursts, and wake up when they need to be changed or fed."

"I can watch over him for a time," Goliath offered. "The clan is not expecting me for the next few days, unless an emergency should arise."

"Oh, Goliath," Elisa felt like she was actually on the verge of tears. "That sounds so wonderful right now."

"Let us put him in his bed, then," Goliath gently took the baby and held him in the crook of one arm. He offered his free hand to his wife and helped her to her feet. "I will watch over the both of you tonight."

Elisa rose up on her tiptoes and kissed her husband gently. "Thank you."

Goliath caressed the side of her face. "You are very welcome, my love."

That first evening set up a pattern for the rest of the week.

Goliath helped with the baby at night so that Elisa could get a few hours of uninterrupted rest.

During the days, there was always someone around to help. Between Elisa's parents and little sister, Elisa was kept company and was able to grab a little extra sleep during the day if she needed it as well.

Even her brother, Talon, had come over Tuesday, the night of Elisa and Goliath's anniversary so that the couple could get away for a while.

Broadway had cooked a fancy dinner for the couple to enjoy on the top of Goliath's tower at the castle, and while it was enjoyable, the couple found themselves itchy to get home to the baby.

By Wednesday, three days into Elisa's vacation, Elisa was contacted by Carly. They had identified the mother and finally managed to find the baby's birth records. The mother's name was Paloma Marie Tripp. She was an orphaned foster child with no known family. The baby's father was un-named on the birth certificate.

To add further insult to injury, the mother hadn't bothered to name the baby. He was listed only as "Baby Boy Tripp". She hadn't even bothered to send the information in to get a social security number.

Elisa was sickened by the lack of caring or respect for the miracle that the baby was. Disgusted, she decided that the baby deserved better. She spent the day carefully surfing baby name websites on the internet, looking up both names and their meanings.

By the time Goliath awoke that night, Elisa had settled on a name.

Goliath's roar as he woke made the baby jump, but he had grown used to the sound by then. Smiling, Goliath walked over to greet his wife and the child for the night.

After a surprisingly long greeting kiss, Goliath lifted his head to gaze at Elisa. She seemed happy, rested and there was the gleam of determination in her eyes.

"Hello, Elisa," He greeted.

"Hey Big Guy," She answered. "I have someone I want you to meet."

Goliath nodded, slowly.

Elisa lifted the baby and handed him to her husband. "I want you to meet Liam Bryant."

Goliath smiled into her eyes. "How did you happen upon those names?"

Elisa shrugged. "I was looking at what the names meant. Liam means 'strong willed warrior', and Bryant is Celtic meaning 'strong'. This little guy, for having such a hard start, is definitely all of those things."

Goliath wrapped his wings around his love and the child who was in their care. "It is a good name. A strong name, and it will serve him well, my Elisa."

Elisa wrapped her arms around her husband and held him tightly, finding the comfort that she had been seeking all day in his arms.

"Shall we venture out and introduce young Liam to the clan?" Goliath asked. The others have been asking about him, but did not want to bother you by coming here."

"Let me bundle Liam up, and we will be ready to go." Elisa said, turning to rush back inside the apartment.

The clan had fallen for Liam instantly, and Liam had a friend for life in Alex Xanatos.

The eldest of the Xanatos children, Alexander, fiercely announced to everyone that he would help watch over Liam the same way he watched over his own baby brother, Christopher. He was so sincere that Elisa didn't have the heart to tell him that Liam was only going to be with them a short time.

The week was half over, and already Elisa knew that despite her earlier intentions, she was going to have a hard time letting him go. The little guy had really managed to work his way into her heart, and she had the sneaky suspicion that Goliath was beginning to feel the same way. She loved watching the two of them together.

As much as she had tried to keep her distance, to not form any kind of attachment to the baby knowing that he would be going to another home soon, she couldn't help watching him sometimes and wonder. What would he be like when he was old enough to walk? To ride a bike? To speak and go to school? To roughhouse, as all little boys do, with the clan.

She could almost picture him in her mind. A handsome little boy with his dark hair and brown eyes, laughing as he would run up to Goliath so that he could maybe have a toss in the air as she had seen Goliath do with the Gargoyle twins so many times over the last year. Would he be able to understand why his family would be so unique? The reason why he would never be able to tell anyone about who his father was, or talk about the clan?

So many secrets to be kept. What kind of life would that be for a child?

Still, she couldn't help but imagine it all anyway.

Elisa was beginning to dread the phone call from CPS. Would he be going to a good home? Would he find an adoptive family that would love him?

The possibility that he could end up back in the same situation that he had been found in hurt Elisa's heart. Perhaps she would be able to arrange to be kept in the loop as an unofficial "aunt" and visit him when she could.

Friday came all too quickly. Elisa only had until Sunday night off, and Carly had called earlier that afternoon. She told Elisa that the foster family who may have room for the baby would be back the following weekend, and would Elisa mind keeping him an extra week until then?

Of course, Elisa had hurried to assure the social worker.

Elisa made arrangements with the clan, and Liam would be spending his nights at the castle while Elisa had to be at work.

Saturday came all too quickly, and Elisa got a phone call from Captain Chavez asking her to come in for an hour or two to "discuss an important matter". She had only just walked into the station when Maria spotted her and called her into the office.

Elisa walked in, closing the door behind her out of habit.

"Chief," Elisa greeted. She had always greeted Maria the same when it was working hours. While on the clock, Maria Chavez was the Police Captain. Off the clock, she was Elisa's godmother, friend of the family and one of the few other humans who knew about the Gargoyle clan. She had been a guest at Elisa's wedding, and occasionally dropped by the castle to visit the clan.

"Maza," Maria greeted. She motioned for Elisa to sit, and folded her hands on top of the desk. "Just so that you know, we're off the clock here. This is a combination business and personal meeting."

"Okay..." Elisa replied, frowning, her voice drifting off in confusion.

"First, I have gotten word from the Mayor's office that you are to receive an award for your rescue and commitment in saving that little boy." Maria smiled a little. "I believe your father called him Liam?"

"Yes," Elisa smiled back, shrugging. "He needed a name, and so I found one that had a strong meaning behind it."

Maria nodded. "I thought he needed one, too. I have been keeping up with the case. Evidence collections, autopsy reports and anything having to do with the child. I can't believe that the mother had never named him."

"Maybe she did," Elisa shrugged, "But if she had, she didn't bother reporting it."

Maria nodded her agreement. "I hope that was the case. How's he doing?"

Elisa felt her smile widen. "He is doing great. He has gained some weight, and after the first day or two, we could tell that he had a pair of very healthy lungs on him."

Maria seemed to study Elisa's face. "And Goliath? How is he doing with Liam?"

"He is great with Liam," Elisa tilted her head. "What's going on, Maria?"

"Well," Maria sat back in her chair. "As I have said, I have been trying to keep in touch with Carly about the baby. It seems that the family she had in mind to take Liam won't be able to take him. The woman just found out that she is pregnant herself, and once that baby is born, they won't have the extra room. Carly is having to look outside of the city for placement."

Elisa frowned. "I was hoping he would be able to stay in Manhattan… But if he can't…"

Maria seemed to find what she had been looking for, and once more sat upright in her chair. She leaned forward, crossed arms braced on the desk and met Elisa's gaze. "Elisa, I am going to ask you, and I want you to be honest. Are you sure that you will still be able to give him up as easily as you had originally thought?"

"No," Elisa answered quickly. "But what are my options?"

"Adopt him," Maria said bluntly.

"What?" Elisa exclaimed with a surprised laugh. "But…"

Maria cut her off with a wave of her hand. "This is no joke. I have not heard you so happy about anything since your wedding. This may be your chance to have a child with your husband, and I think we _both_ know that Goliath is getting pretty attached to the little guy by now."

Elisa blinked blankly at Maria. "He's not a puppy, Cap… Maria. I can't just adopt him. Look at my life! My family! His father and extended family would be gargoyles. His uncle is a mutated half cat. And my work schedule! Liam would have to become completely nocturnal. How would we care for a baby?"

"Your parents did it," Maria snapped. "Your parents were both working full time. And let's also mention that your mother is african american, your father native american...As a mixed race couple, if you think _that_ was easy on them at that time in our history, you are sadly mistaken. People were not nice to them. You kids didn't exactly have it easy, yourself. Being the child from a mixed race couple yourself, I imagine that you can understand the challenges that Liam will have to overcome better than anyone. And, yet, despite all that, you Maza kids are some of the most well-rounded and down to earth people I know."

Elisa, feeling as if she had just been firmly put in her place, wisely chose to remain silent.

"I don't want to rush you," Maria said, "and I wouldn't if time was not of the essence here, _but_ if I were to ask you to make a decision right now, _would_ you choose to adopt that precious baby boy?"

Elisa hesitated for the briefest of moments. Every reason as the why she should not adopt Liam running through her head.

"Before you answer," Maria said, "know that I will personally go to bat for you. I have enough connections and sway within the CPS system to hurry the adoption through. I have an old classmate of mine from my time at the academy who works in CPS now, and he is waiting for my call. He can have the paperwork here in half an hour and the process can be pushed through quickly from there. If we begin the process now, then Liam never has to leave your home again."

She wished desperately that She could stop and talk it through with Goliath. They were married, after all, and he should have some say in the matter.

Then she remembered all the times over the last week that she had seen Goliath cradling Liam. The tender look on his face as he gazed into the small face…

Then Elisa tried to imagine going home and not having Liam there...

In the end, she said the only thing that she could. "I would love to keep him."

Maria smiled then. "I thought so." Maria picked up the phone, pressed the hold button and spoke briefly to someone on the receiving end. She replaced the phone onto the cradle. "Myles Millard will be here shortly."

Elisa sat back and narrowed her eyes at Maria's smug expression. "You _knew_."

Maria shrugged. "Call it a hunch that I had."

"Cop's intuition?" Elisa asked. "That would be amazing, being that I didn't know myself until just now."

"You knew," Maria said. "You just hadn't admitted it to yourself."

"One problem, though," Elisa said. "Legally, I am a single woman who works nights in a dangerous job. What judge would sign the papers?"

"That isn't as big a problem as you think it might be." Maria said. "You are a hero in the eyes of the city, about to get a mayoral award, a commendation from the NYPD and you are the officer who initially saved that boy. The PR department will be dancing a jig in their offices when they hear about this, and any judge who _doesn't_ sign the papers would have to face their wrath."

Elisa laughed. "I didn't even know about half of those things."

"I was saving them for when you got back." Maria leaned back in her seat once more. "There is going to be a big ceremony on the Mayor's dime, all the pomp and circumstances that go with it."

"Why?" Elisa asked, serious all of a sudden. "What did I do that was so special? Other officers, firefighters and EMTs save people every day. Why me?"

"You followed a hunch and found the baby when everyone else had left. If you hadn't been there, they may have found a small dead baby days, weeks or months later. You saved that baby, then took him home to make sure he was cared for. That," Maria said with emphasis, "Is why you are getting the awards."

Elisa shook her head. She started to protest, but Maria raised a hand to stop her.

"No arguments," Maria said. "The paperwork has already been sent and is being pushed through. The decisions have been made, and it any protestations that you may have won't change anything."

A few minutes later, Maria's CPS contact knocked at the office door.

All Elisa had to do was sign the thick bundle of prepared papers.

Once the official papers were tucked safely inside of a large manilla envelope and sealed for privacy, Miles the CPS social worker shook her hand and congratulated her.

Elisa felt a little shocky. That had been… fast.

"Now," Maria said briskly. "You are not officially back at work for another twenty four hours, so I suggest that you go home. Spend some time with your husband and son."

Elisa blinked at Maria.

 _Her son._ _ **Their**_ _son._

Liam was going to be a permanent part of their lives.

Elisa felt a smile slowly cover her face as the reality started cementing itself in her mind, and Maria mirrored it back to her. "Go," Standing, Maria shooed her.

"Yes, ma'am," Elisa said, getting to her feet. Impulsively, Elisa threw her arms around her Godmother and held her tightly. "Thank you," Elisa whispered against Maria's shoulder.

"You are very welcome," Maria said.

Elisa had to make a conscious effort to obey traffic and speed laws on her way home. She was eager to get home to her husband. Her family.

Elisa hurried inside her apartment building. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator to make it to the ground floor and again while it ever so slowly rose to the top floor.

Elisa fumbled with her keys for a moment in her eagerness to get inside. Once the door had been unlocked, she opened the door to find Angela and Goliath in the living room. Liam, arms waving and gurgling contentedly, was being held comfortably in the crook of Goliath's right arm.

At Elisa's hurried entry, both Gargoyles turned toward the door.

"Elisa!" Angela called out happily.

Goliath frowned towards her. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Elisa hurried to assure him. She removed her coat, hanging it on the wooden coat rack just inside the door. "Angela, could you take Liam for a moment? I need to speak with your father."

Angela glanced quickly from Elisa to Goliath and back again. "Sure," she hurried to answer, holding her arms out to receive the baby.

Elisa hurried past them, and walked out into the chilled night air outside on her rooftop balcony. She crossed her arms over her stomach, took a deep breath to try to prepare herself to give Goliath the news, hoping against hope that he would approve of her choice. Praying that he would not be angry that she hadn't insisted on taking the time to call and speak to him before signing the papers, she turned her face to the night sky and stared at the stars above.

"Elisa," Goliath called out, worry coloring his tone. "What has happened?"

"Goliath," Elisa began, but felt at a loss for words.

"My love," Goliath insisted, "Tell me."

"Goliath, I'm afraid that I made a very big decision tonight…"

He raised a brow at that. "What decision would that be?"

"It's about Liam," Elisa said. "I met with a man from Child Protective Services and…"

Goliath sighed, pulling Elisa into his arms. "Is it time for him to move on, then?"

"No," Elisa pushed away enough for her to look into his face. "No. Just the opposite. Liam is ours, if we want him. I hope you want him, being that I just signed the papers. It all just kind of happened really fast."

Goliath blinked in surprise, then without warning, he swung Elisa around in a wide circle. Laughing happily, the couple came together in a warm embrace and a scorching kiss.

"You don't mind?" Elisa asked breathlessly.

"No," Goliath assured her. "I am very relieved. I was not looking forward to the time that was coming when he would have to leave."

"It's going to be a big change," Elisa felt the need to remind him.

"Of course," Goliath said. "But change is not always a bad thing."

"I love you," Elisa said softly, lifting her hand to caress his hair.

"And I you," Goliath said, returning the gesture.

"Shall we go tell Angela?" Elisa asked, grinning.

"Yes," Goliath agreed, offering his arm to Elisa in a very courtly gesture. "Then we should go tell the rest of the clan."


	4. Chapter 4

Liam legally became Elisa's son one week later. He had already become a member of the clan, and was being well loved by his parents.

With the new responsibilities, and all of the extra time he needed to be at Elisa's apartment, Goliath made noises about stepping down as leader from the clan and handing the reins over to his second in command, Brooklyn. Brooklyn declined, but offered to take over enough responsibility at the castle so that Goliath could stay at Elisa's apartment every day so that he could be there to help with Liam upon awakening.

Surprisingly, the Xanatos family even pitched in, offering to find a dedicated nanny to take care of Liam at night so that Goliath and Elisa could continue working together and not have to worry about the baby.

A few of the clan members made disgruntled noises about how they could handle one infant…

Until Liam presented them all with a very full diaper.

It wasn't long afterward that the clan, still mostly males, agreed that a human nanny would not be a bad thing.

Elisa fought the urge to laugh at the disgusted faces of the clan around her. Their super smelling powers must be driving them crazy.

She went to the nearest bathroom to clean Liam up, cooing and speaking gibberish to him to keep him entertained.

"And it begins…" came a familiar female voice from the doorway.

Elisa turned an embarrassed smile toward Fox. "Oops."

Fox laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I do it, too. Hell," Fox waved a hand dismissively, "After seeing my mother, the Fairy Queen, baby talk to my boys, nothing looks odd to me anymore."

Elisa's eyebrows shot up. "Titania? As in Oberon's Wife?" Elisa finished up Liam's change, and zipped his warm footie pajamas closed again. Lifting Liam into her arms, she nuzzled his neck, "I think I would pay to see that."

"It is almost worth the price of admission," Fox joked.

"What's going on?" Elisa asked the red headed woman.

"Not much," Fox shrugged. "Just wanted to let you know that we meant what we said about the nanny. We had been looking into one for Alex and now Christopher. Owen can handle a lot, but he has his hands full with David's company and training Alex."

Elisa raised a brow. "Did you already have someone in mind?"

"Well," Fox smiled devilishly, "We just so happened to have interviewed someone yesterday who would be perfect."

"Really?" Elisa asked skeptically. "That would be awfully convenient, being that we didn't know we would be keeping Liam until tonight."

Fox shrugged nonchalantly. "I had a feeling."

Elisa watched, dumbfounded, as the redheaded former ex-convict turned and walked out the door. "Feelings and hunches seems to be going around. Like a freaking virus." She groused.

Elisa looked down at Liam who was contentedly sucking on his fists. "You probably knew too, didn't you?"

Elisa scooped her son up and went to join the rest of the Gargoyle clan.

Elisa called the number that Fox had provided and made arrangements to meet the potential nanny, Skyler Henrick.

Being a policewoman, and having the tools available, Elisa did do a little digging into her background beforehand.

As it turned out, not only did Skyler have no criminal record, she was more than capable of taking care of Liam.

Skyler had been abandoned at the age of fourteen. Her mother had dropped Skyler off at school one day and never picked her up. Skyler had made her way home that day but had no key to get in the house. A neighbor had discovered Skyler sitting on the front porch at midnight, shivering from cold, and called the police. No sign of her mother had ever been found since then. And so, as a foster child, she had spent her life as a ward of the state from age fourteen until age eighteen moving from foster home to foster home in Colorado. She had no family to hold her there, so when she graduated high school, she had spent her time working for various nanny services working for room and board, earning a little spending money here and there.

Elisa did run across a police report with Skyler's name on it from Manhattan that caught her attention. Skyler had arrived in Manhattan only a month ago. She had just gotten off of the Greyhound Bus that had carried her and her meager belongings across the country and was walking to the small hotel that she had arranged to live in, when two men had knocked her to the ground. She had been struggling, trying to keep hold of her small life savings that she had tucked in her duffle bag.

It just so happened that a pair of gargoyles happened to be patrolling that night, and saved Skyler, her belongings and her money. Skyler didn't know their names, but from the description, Elisa figured out that it was Brooklyn and Broadway.

Elisa read the witness statements connected to the attempted mugging, and it appeared sounded as if Skyler hadn't been frightened of the gargoyles. Another thing that only worked in her favor.

As a nanny for a child who had been adopted by the clan, she would have to be able to meet and interact with the clan on a fairly regular basis.

And so, early one evening just after sundown, Elisa walked into the Starbucks just down the street from from her apartment to meet with the young woman.

Skyler was twenty years old, was only slightly shorter than Elisa and had a baby face that made her still look to be in her mid teens. She had straight, light auburn hair that reached just past her shoulders. With a pure ivory complexion and brilliant green eyes, she looked almost like a large porcelain doll.

Elisa walked to the counter, ordered a coffee and took a few moments to observe the young woman. Skyler was sitting at a table alone, a worn paperback book in her hands that Elisa realized was a romance novel.

She looked like someone that you would cast to play the stereotypical girl next door from a movie or television show. Every time the bell above the door sounded, Skyler jumped a little and looked up alertly, idly playing with a gold charm bracelet around her slender wrist.

 _Probably looking for me,_ Elisa thought to herself.

Elisa paid for her coffee and walked over to introduce herself. Part of being a police officer is needing to have a healthy dose of skepticism about people. People could twist the truth to suit their purposes, to make them appear more innocent and reliable than they really were.

Skyler seemed to be truthful, almost to a fault. She admitted to the few years that she went through a streak of teenage troublemaking. Skyler had even grinned and said, "Typical foster kid frustration mixed with a healthy dose of with teenage angst" and made Elisa laugh.

She was completely open and candid about her background.

Elisa was impressed.

Skyler had religiously renewed her CPR certification, had taken a handful of child psychology courses at a small local college outside of Sterling Colorado and had even come with written references from the last family that she had worked for.

Elisa had her communicator on so that Goliath could listen in on the interview as well. He had been mostly silent, but had made approving noises through most of the conversation.

Elisa excused herself to go to the restroom. She walked past the door marked "Women" and went out to the back alley so that she could speak to Goliath.

"What do you think, Big Guy?"

"I think she will be good with Liam," Goliath admitted. "She sounds like someone who would be good around the clan as well. What are your thoughts?"

"I like her," Elisa admitted. "She seems sweet, honest and genuinely likes the children that she has cared for."

Elisa had to admit that Fox had really found a winner, and a few minutes later she hired Skyler on the spot. She led Skyler toward the apartment so that she could meet Liam.

"Liam's father is with him right now," Elisa admitted. "We are still adjusting to having the little guy around."

"I read the story in the paper," Skyler smiled brightly. "It is amazing that you were willing to take the baby in and adopt him so quickly."

"In the paper?" Elisa asked incredulously. "Really?"

"Yeah," Skyler said, looking uncomfortable. "You… didn't know."

Elisa shook her head. "I shouldn't be surprised, but I am."

"You are being hailed as a hero," Skyler assured her.

"I'm no hero," Elisa said, using her key to open the outer security door. "I was just in the right place at the right time."

"And just stubborn enough to keep looking for the cause of a strange sound?" Skyler mused out loud.

Elisa burst out with a laugh. "That's one way to put it." She reached out and hit the call button for the elevator.

Skyler was looking around her in wonder. "This is an amazing place."

"Yeah," Elisa admitted, looking around as well. "It is. There is a security desk that is manned twenty four hours a day." She motioned toward the desk and the gentleman sitting behind the desk. "That is Tony. He's here most nights. I'll introduce you when we come back down. If you decide that you want the job, we can go get your things tonight if you want. We have an extra room, and it would be easier all around if you stayed with us. It would save you a lot of money as well."

Skyler nodded. "I was hoping that would be the case."

The elevator bell dinged, signalling its arrival on the ground floor. Elisa held the door and motioned Skyler in first. Once inside, Elisa swiped her coded security card and pushed the button that would allow access to the top floor.

"Security measures," Elisa explained. "We will get you your own card and code so that you can come and go without having to rely on us buzzing you up."

Skyler nodded her understanding.

"Now that we are on our way," Elisa said slowly, "How much did the Xanatos' tell you about my family."

"Well," Skyler began cautiously, "They told me that you are a policewoman, and have had some unfortunate run ins with criminals, so you had a need for a place with the security measures." Skyler shrugged. "I don't mind, though. It's nice to feel safe."

Elisa nodded.

"Mrs. Xanatos also mentioned that you and your husband worked together, and mostly on the same shifts, so you needed someone to help watch Liam overnights."

Elisa nodded again.

Skyler frowned. "She was really interested in the attempted mugging a few weeks ago and my interaction with the Gargoyles."

Elisa hummed, thoughtfully. Truthfully, she wanted to hear more about it herself. "I was sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience first thing."

Skyler smiled. "It was scary, but I was happy to get to meet a Gargoyle. Two, actually."

"Really?" Elisa asked.

Skyler nodded. "Yeah. The Gargoyles are something of a legend now that the world knows about them. Granted, all the way out in Colorado, we didn't hear _as_ much about them, but there's always the internet." Skyler shrugged sheepishly. "I read up on them before coming. They are really good to have around, huh?"

"That they are," Elisa smiled at the girl. "So, why Manhattan?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Skyler admitted. "I just needed to get out of Colorado, and get out on my own. I looked at a map, and Manhattan just kind of called to me." She shrugged.

"Well, it's lucky for me that you did," Elisa assured her.

The elevator signaled their arrival on the top floor. Elisa led the way to the door, and paused before opening it.

"Skyler," Elisa began slowly. "We have another reason for all the security. Privacy. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, so I'm going to ask you to be patient for the next little bit for explanations. Okay?"

The girl nodded her head, her face serious. "I understand, Ms. Maza."

"Elisa," Elisa corrected with a smile. "we're pretty informal here."

"Oh, thank goodness," Skyler let out a breath.

Elisa chuckled, opening the door.

"Oh, wow," Skyler breathed in wonder. "This is an amazing home."

"It's two floors," Elisa said, pointing to the staircase at the rear of the large living area. "Living room, Dining room and kitchen on the main floor. Bedrooms are all upstairs. It's dark out, so you may not be able to tell, but there is a large courtyard balcony through the double doors there."

Skyler looked a little overwhelmed. "You must think I am a total country hick right now, but… wow!"

Elisa folded her arms and leaned back against the wall. "Go ahead and look around for a moment if you want." She straightened back up and went into the kitchen. "I have water, tea and coffee. Would you like anything to drink?"

"A water would be nice, thank you."

Elisa brought the woman a cold bottle of water and opened the top to her own bottle. "Shall we sit for a moment?"

"Sure," Skyler said.

The two women sat in the two armchairs that were angled to face each other in silence for a moment.

Elisa cleared her throat. This was it… Skyler either stayed or left based on how she reacted to the next bit of information.

"Skyler," Elisa began slowly. "I was interested in your incident with the Gargoyles too, but not for the reason that you may think."

"Oh, god," Skyler breathed, looking worried. "You're not part of a gargoyle hating group or something, are you? I can't help you find them, if that is what you want."

"And if you _did_ know where to find them?" Elisa asked curiously.

Skyler shook her head, a fierce light in her eyes. "I wouldn't tell you if I did know. I'm sorry."

"I can pay you a lot of money for the information." Elisa was baiting her, trying to see if Skyler would cave in.

"I'm sorry," Skyler firmly put down the bottle of water and got to her feet. "This is an amazing opportunity, but I can't help you find them. I'm sorry that I can't take the job, and I think it would be better if I just go ahead and leave now."

"Good answer," Elisa said, smiling. "That was the best thing you could have said."

"R...really?" Skyler stuttered out, confused now.

"Really," Elisa assured her. She put her water bottle down on the floor beside her chair. "The reason that I live so far up, and need all the security and privacy is that I am one of a small number of people who are friends with the clan of Gargoyles here in Manhattan."

"Really?" Skyler perked up, instantly. "Do you know that ones that helped me?"

"I think so," Elisa admitted. "From the descriptions you gave the officers the night they helped you, I believe they were Brooklyn and Broadway."

"Awesome names," Skyler laughed. "Did they pick their own names, or did someone name them?"

"Their leader, Goliath, had been given a name before I met him." Elisa admitted. "There is a female who was named Angela by someone else, and I accidently named the eldest member Hudson, for the river. There are four more, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington and Bronx. They chose their names when they arrived here."

"That's great," Skyler said. "It kind of gives their names a special meaning if it is from their home and their own choice."

Elisa tilted her head thoughtfully. "I guess I hadn't thought about that."

"Do they come here often?" Skyler asked hesitantly. "I didn't get the chance to thank the ones who helped me, because I had been so startled over everything. I would really like to do so."

Elisa nodded. "They come over quite often."

A cry sounded from upstairs, and Skyler jumped to her feet. "Oops," She blushed prettily. "I guess it's a habit."

"That's fine," Elisa laughed. "He's only lived with me for a little over a week now, and I find myself doing that quite often as well."

Heavy footfalls sounded upstairs, and Elisa knew that Goliath was on his way down with Liam.

Now or never, Elisa thought. "You're in luck," She said, hurriedly. Elisa wanted to give Skyler a heads up before she set eyes on her seven foot tall husband who just happened to be the leader of the clan. "The leader of the clan's name is Goliath,and he is here right now." Elisa motioned toward the stairs where Goliath had appeared, Liam tucked into his arms.

Skyler turned, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh… uh… Hello."

Elisa chuckled. "Don't worry," Elisa whispered to Skyler. "He caught me by surprise the first time I met him, too."

"She fell off the building, actually," Goliath said, chuckling.

Elisa rolled her eyes. "Fall off of a building one time, and you never hear the end of it."

Skyler recovered quickly, and even giggled a little at the teasing. She walked forward and held her arm out to shake the Large leader's hand. Goliath reached forward, grasping the young woman's forearm.

Skyler perked up. "Oh! You use an old warrior's greeting."

Goliath raised his brow in amazement. "I do."

"Okay. Now I need to know how you knew that," Elisa announced. "It took me a while, and even then, Hudson had to explain it to me."

"Oh, I…" Skyler flushed bright red and shifted uncomfortably. "I read a lot of historical...books."

Elisa remembered the romance novel that Skyler had been reading in the coffee shop. "Ahh," Elisa understood. "Got it."

Skyler grimaced. "I know. Romances aren't the best reading material."

Elisa shrugged. "You'll get no judgement from me. I used to read romances myself. Then I discovered true crime and mystery books. The rest is history."

Skyler slowly relaxed again. Turning, she spoke to Goliath. "Is this Liam?"

"It is," Goliath nodded.

"May I?" Skyler asked, holding her arms out.

Goliath glanced at Elisa, and Elisa nodded to let him know that it was alright. Skyler gently transferred the sleepy baby from Goliath's strong arms to her own. "Hi there," Skyler said to him softly. "I'm Skye, and I think we're going to have a great time getting to know each other."

Elisa watched as Liam stared into his nanny's face with those bright eyes and serious expression. He wasn't crying, however, so that was a good sign.

"Goliath," Elisa called out, as if he hadn't heard the entire conversation, "Skyler met a couple of the clan members. Brooklyn and Broadway, I think."

Goliath nodded, playing along. "I hope they were of some help to you, Miss Skyler."

"Oh, they were," Skyler hurried to assure him. "They were very helpful, and courteous."

"That is good, then," Goliath said with a smile.

Skyler smiled back. "I would like the opportunity to thank them in person sometime." She gave a small grimace, "I think I pretty much stammered like a complete idiot the night I met them."

"I'm sure you were fine," Elisa assured her. "You will have plenty of time to get to know them. They come by often."

"Good," Skyler said. She lifted Liam to her shoulder and turned to Elisa. "Would you mind showing me where Liam's things are, so I can find what he needs and get used to his routine?"

Elisa smiled. "Sure. In the meantime, how would you feel about getting your things and moving in tonight?"

Skyler's face lit up happily. "I would love that."

"Good," Elisa said. "Goliath, can you arrange an extra pair of hands or two to help before it gets too late?"

Goliath nodded. "I will go to the castle and return shortly with help."


	5. Chapter 5

Half an hour later, after Elisa had shown Skyler around the apartment. Liam had been lulled into sleep by Skyler's gentle voice and manner, and he was currently curled up in his crib.

Goliath had returned with help. He had brought Skyler's two saviors, and Angela as well.

"Oh!" Skyler exclaimed, seeing the three new Gargoyles out in the open rooftop courtyard.

Elisa smiled. "We figured you could use an extra pair of hands or three. Do you have a problem with heights?"

"I... " Skyler seemed to be thinking hard. "I don't think so. I've never been on a plane, or if I have been on one I can't remember."

"You don't have to go with them if you don't want to. Flying is the fastest way to get from here to there, but if you have any issues, just let the guys know, and they'll bring you back." Elisa said, putting a supportive hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can take my car just as easily."

"I'll give it a try," Skyler said with a mischievous grin. "It could be fun."

"Trust me, there's nothing like it," Elisa said with a grin of her own.

Together, the two women walked out into the courtyard.

"Skyler," Goliath greeted. "I would like to introduce Angela, my daughter, and this is Broadway, my daughter's mate."

"Hello," Angela greeted the young woman with a very human handshake.

"It's nice to meet you," Broadway said, offering his arm in the old warrior's greeting Goliath had used earlier.

"It is wonderful to meet you, too," Skyler smiled at him and repeating the forearm shake.

"And this," Goliath said, gesturing towards the red male, "Is Brooklyn, my second in command."

"Hello," Brooklyn said, opting for a deep formal bow instead of the handshake.

Skyler dipped into a classic curtsey, much to the amusement of everyone. "I am thankful to have the opportunity to see you both again."

"Again?" Broadway asked, puzzled.

Skyler looked almost crushed. "Yes, you both helped me a few weeks ago, when I first got here. I was leaving the bus station, and…"

Brooklyn smack himself in the forehead. "The girl with the plant!"

"Yes," Skyler said, looking less distressed. "It's a cutting from a Blue Girl rosebush that I potted and brought with me when I left Colorado."

"We're glad that you're okay," Broadway said with a smile. "It's not often that we get to talk to the people we help."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said, bitterness fairly dripping in his tone. "Most of them just run away."

"What?' Skyler burst out. "But… why? You helped save me in more ways than one that night. I would have thanked you then, but you left so quickly."

"Habit," Broadway said with a shrug. "Sorry."

"That's o.k. I'm just glad that I get the opportunity to thank you all now."

"Shall we go and help you gather your belongings?" Goliath asked, interrupting the conversation.

"That would be wonderful," Skyler said, smiling.

"Angela," Elisa said, "Can you stay with Liam so that I can help Skyler carry her things out of the hotel?"

"Sure," Angela said with a smile. "It will be a vacation to watch a young one other then my two little heathens."

"Oh, you have children too?" Skyler asked.

"Yes," Angela said, wearily. "Twins."

"Twins are fun," Skyler said. "They always have someone to play with. And someone to get into trouble with."

Angela smiled. "They do that, yes."

"Shall we?" Goliath asked.

"Yeah," Elisa said, "Brooklyn, can you take Skyler?"

"Sure," Brooklyn said.

"Uh," Skyler walked towards him uncertainly. "How do we…?"

"Like this," Elisa said, walking towards Goliath. He leaned down and scooped her into his arms.

"Oh," Skyler said, blushing. "Alright."

Brooklyn held his arms out to her, and Skyler stepped into them. Effortlessly, Brooklyn swept her off her feet and into his arms.

Skyler let out a surprised laugh, reflexively throwing her arms around his neck.

"Ready?" Elisa called out.

"Sure," Skyler called out.

As one, from years of acting as a unit, the three males ran to the edge of the building, lept onto the low wall and caught the wind in their wings.

Elisa had to give Skyler credit. The girl hadn't screamed.

Looking over Goliath's shoulder, Elisa could see that Skyler had her face hidden firmly in the space here Brooklyn's neck met his shoulder. Brooklyn didn't seem to mind, however.

Knowing that Brooklyn would take care of Skyler, Elisa leaned into her husband's embrace and enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness that she had come to enjoy when soaring through the air with the clan.

The Gargoyles set down in the darkened alley beside the small hotel.

Skyler was laughing as Brooklyn set her down on her feet. "That was amazing." She held up her hands to cover her cheeks, in an attempt to warm them from the cold air she'd experienced on the flight over.

Brooklyn sent the place a doubtful look. "You were staying here?" It was an old, dark brick building. The windows all had bars on them, and some had been boarded up to make up for the lack of actual glass in the frames. There was loud thumping bass coming from the club across the street that displayed three giant "X"s in the blacked out window.

It was not the best of neighborhoods.

Skyler flushed with embarrassment. She reached out and began fiddling with her charm bracelet, a motion that Elisa had picked up as a nervous gesture. "It was all I could afford."

Elisa slung her arm around the girl's shoulders. "This is nothing," She said flippantly, trying to ease her discomfort. "You should have seen my first apartment. Rats so big, I could have ridden them to work and back like a freaking horse."

Skyler laughed as Elisa steered her towards the street and the entrance of the hotel. "Oh, yeah. And don't get me started on the roaches…"

Elisa glanced over her shoulder in time to see Broadway slap his rookery brother on his shoulder. "Way to go, Casanova."

"Ow," Brooklyn yelped. "What?"

Elisa sighed. "He didn't mean to insult you," She said to Skyler.

"Oh," Skyler said softly. "I didn't mind. It's not exactly The Ritz."

"Maybe not," Elisa said, following Skyler through the door into the miniscule lobby. "But it's hard when people point out things that make you uncomfortable, not knowing how hard you work for something."

Skyler smiled sadly. "At least someone understands."

Elisa nodded. "I grew up with two parents who worked full time and whatever overtime they could get. They had three of us kids to take care of, and they were facing prejudice at every turn because of their different races."

"It's hard to find a job when you age out of the system. It's all, "happy birthday. You're eighteen now, so here's a bus ticket, fifty dollars and a list of group homes. I was lucky to find a nanny position, even if I didn't make much money, because I had a roof over my head."

Skyler took a large red plastic tagged keyring out of her pocket and opened the door to her small room.

Elisa followed her in and drew in a breath. "Rat Hole" would have been insulting to the rats. Peeling wallpaper, carpet stained beyond repair, and the comforter had so many cigarette burns in it that it was more burn than blanket at that point.

"Well," Elisa huffed out, "You'll be making some good money with us, and you won't be deducted for rent, either."

"Really?" Skyler whipped around, a small stack of folded clothing in her arms.

"Really," Elisa said. "I own my condo, so money is not really a big issue for me right now. I'm not Xanatos rich, but I'm not in such dire straights that I would deduct rent from your pay."

Skyler's eyes were huge, and she seemed to be processing that.

"You're taking care of my son," Elisa reminded her. "You deserve to be paid well for it. We'll take care of the groceries, too. If you have any dietary requirements, just let me know."

As she had been talking, Elisa had been gathering up the little odds and ends that she had found around the room and the small bathroom. She was going to feel a lot better once they were out of there.

Elisa handed the items to Skyler and watched as she expertly and efficiently packed her small suitcase. A small box packed with a small stack of books, and the potted rosebush clipping joined the pile.

So few things, but Elisa thought that it must be a byproduct of being a foster child and forced to move over and over.

Elisa shook her head, sadly. That could have been Liam, had things gone differently.

"Okay," Skyler said. She did a quick turn, scanning the room. "That should be everything."

One suitcase. One small box. One potted plant.

Elisa was going to have to mother this young woman a little, she could sense it now. First chance she got, Elisa was going to take the girl out shopping. Full on, frivolous girl shopping. She would not be allowed to buy anything that she needed, but things that she wanted.

Elisa shuddered. She wasn't a big shopper herself… Maybe she could con Beth into taking Skyler out. Beth was the queen of frivolous shopping binges.

"Elisa," Skyler said shyly, breaking Elisa out of her thoughts.

"Yes, sorry," Elisa answered, shaking her head.

"I just wanted to thank you for this opportunity."

"I should be thanking you," Elisa said. "You will be taking care of my son, putting up with my crazy work hours, and keeping some very important secrets for me. It would be enough to make most people go running for the hills."

"Oh," Skyler said, frowning. "It doesn't bother me. Really. I enjoy working with kids, I enjoy making friends...but as contradictory as it may sound, I really need to be able to have my privacy too. I don't open up to a lot of people because of my crazy background in the foster care system," Skyler continued, picking up the box and plant. "It makes people uncomfortable."

Elisa nodded. "I understand. It is kind of like when people find out I'm a cop. It makes people squirrelly, and I start wondering why. If I ask them why, they get more funny about it which only makes me more curious." She chuckled. "it's a vicious cycle."

"Hazard of the job?"

"You bet," Elisa said.

Elisa carried the small suitcase for Skyler. After a quick stop at the front desk of the hotel to check out, the two women made their way around the corner and into the back alley.

Broadway took the box of books and suitcase from the women, holding them securely in one arm so that he could still use one arm to climb to the top of the building for gliding height.

Skyler watched Elisa swing easily up onto Goliath's back, mirroring the action to ride to the top on Brooklyn's back, while keeping a death grip on her small potted rose. Once to the top, the five of them made their way back home.

Landing on the rooftop courtyard, Brooklyn gently put Skyler back on the ground.

"Whew" She breathed out with a joyful laugh. "That was so much better the second time!"

"It gets easier each time," Elisa assured her. "As you get more comfortable with it, you'll be able to look around and see the sights."

"Really?" Skyler perked up.

"You bet," Elisa said with a wink.

"I'll go get Angela," Broadway said with a smile, setting the suitcase and box down on one of the benches. "Then we can start our patrol."

Goliath nodded. "Brooklyn and I should go as well," he said, motioning toward his second in command.

"Uh," Brooklyn said reluctantly. "Yeah."

"Actually, Goliath," Elisa stopped her husband, "Would you mind helping me take these inside before you leave?"

Goliath looked confused from the small bag and box to his wife. He was probably wondering what was wrong, being that she could have handled both with ease. Still, he didn't argue with her and "helped" her carry the items inside.

"What…" Goliath began.

"Sorry," Elisa said. "Just give them a minute."

Together, they watched as Brooklyn spoke earnestly to Skyler. It seemed to go well, and a few minutes later, Skyler was smiling openly and conversing with Brooklyn.

Elisa smiled at Goliath. "I think the apology went well."

"Apology?" Goliath asked, puzzled.

"For what he said at the hotel and embarrassing Skyler," Elisa reminded him. "Knowing Brooklyn, as soon as someone pointed it out to him, he would have been compelled to apologize and make it right."

Goliath nodded at his wife. "That is true," he acknowledged.

"And," Elisa continued, "it also gave Skyler a chance to properly thank Brooklyn for his part in helping her the night she first got to Manhattan without anyone else around to make her feel self conscious."

Goliath smiled at Elisa. Reaching out, her ran a taloned hand through her hair. "You amaze me." He pulled her in close, wrapped his wings around them both and leaned down to whisper, "I love you, My Elisa."

"I love you back, Big Guy," Elisa responded.

Their kiss was regrettably short, but no less full of feeling.

Straightening up, Goliath gently withdrew his wings. "I will be back before sunrise," He promised, before letting Elisa go completely.

"We will be here," Elisa assured him.

They parted as Broadway and Angela came down the stairs.

The three of them exited the apartment and into the courtyard. Skyler and Brooklyn ended their conversation, both seeming easier with each other than before, and the gargoyles glided off to work on their patrol routes.

"They are…" Skyler drifted off, watching them glide away.

"Amazing?" Elisa interjected.

"Yeah," Skyler turned her smiling face towards Elisa. "That is about it."

"Come on," Elisa said, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder and gently steering her toward the doors leading inside. "Let's go set up your room."

It was with some amazement that Elisa watched Skyler unpack. Every piece of clothing was neatly folded and put into the drawers of the small dresser with room to spare.

The books were all well worn, spines bent and covers worn from many readings, and were lined up neatly on a single shelf in the small bookcase that doubled as a night table.

Once the small planter with the rosebush cutting was positioned on the windowsill, Skyler was completely unpacked.

It was a sad testament to Skyler's past. As a foster child, being shuffled from place to place at a moment's notice, she must have learned to keep only the barest of essentials. Being able to pack quickly and not leave anything behind was a trait that Elisa had seen in many kids over her time on the force.

There weren't even any pictures to put around the room. Nothing to even hint at a personal connection to people.

"There," Skyler said, looking happily around the room.

"We will have to take you out shopping," Elisa stated matter of factly. "We'll see about picking up some things to jazz up the walls. Make the place your own."

Skyler looked surprised. "This is great, Elisa. Really."

"I know," Elisa shrugged. "But I'm looking forward to having you here for a long time. You might as well pick out a new paint color. Pictures for the walls. A new bedding set."

She shot a no nonsense look at the young woman. "I'm buying, so no arguments."

"O… Okay," Skyler stuttered.

"Good," Elisa smiled. "Liam will probably be up in a bit, and I'm starving. How about you?"

"Sure," Still looking a little stunned, Skyler followed Elisa back downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Do you like chinese food?" Elisa asked. "I know a great place a few blocks away that delivers. Great Mongolian beef."

"Sounds fantastic."

Elisa reached out and dialed the number from memory. She efficiently ordered a wide variety of things, not knowing what Skyler would like and knowing that Goliath would likely be back in a while and be hungry himself.

Liam, right on schedule woke up just before the food arrived.

"I've got it," Skyler jumped to her feet. She was halfway back up the stairs before Elisa could turn around.

So eager to please, Elisa thought to herself.

Elisa was happy to have found someone to help with Liam. Happier still to have found someone like Skyler. Obviously, she loved working with children, was well qualified and loved by her previous employers. She was friendly, but knew how to keep secrets.

Yes, she would be a fantastic addition to the clan.

Elisa was still smiling when she answered the door to get the food.

Goliath returned after the patrols had been finished.

"Hmmm," Elisa said out loud, her cooling mug of coffee in her hands. "Must have been a slow night."

"Why do you say that?" Skyler asked.

Elisa glanced over to where Skyler was sitting on the living room rug, playing with an alert Liam on her lap.

"He's back early." Elisa said, nodding towards the dark figure in the courtyard.

"Oh," Skyler said, surprised. "He stays here, too?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. This was the one sicky area that had not been broached yet. "He stays here most days. Is that okay with you? We don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"No, no," Skyler hurried to protest. "Do the others stay here too?"

"Once in awhile," Elisa shrugged one shoulder. "Not very often. We'll take you out tomorrow and introduce you to the rest of the clan."

"Are there other humans who know about the clan?"

"A few," Elisa answered, sipping her coffee. "There are a few others who know who they are and where they live."

"And," Skyler asked, a mischievous look on her face, "Are there other humans in relationships with them?"

Surprise caused Elisa to spray a small mouthful of coffee onto the tile floor of the kitchen. Coughing, Elisa gasped for air, struggled to think of a response. She had thought they were so careful to hide it for the time being…

"Are you okay?" Skyler asked. "Sorry, I was just curious."

"Uh, no." Elisa said slowly, her voice slightly hoarse from the coughing fit. "As far as we know, Goliath and I are the only gargoyle and human couple. How did you know?"

"I read romances," Skyler shrugged. "Goliath looks at you like I imagine all of the heroes in my books look at their soulmates. Like he'd take a bullet for you or something."

"Soulmates, huh?" Elisa asked, skeptically.

Skyler gave an exaggerated sigh, placing a hand at her forehead in an old victorian fainting pose. "You complete him."

Elisa was still laughing as she rose to open the patio doors. So much for being careful around Skyler. It looked like it wasn't needed.

Elisa opened the door for Goliath, shutting it quickly behind him to keep the heat inside. It was still bitterly cold outside, and the snow had just started falling.

"Hey Big Guy," Elisa greeted him.

"Elisa," he answered in his deep, rumbling voice. Looking towards his son and their new caretaker, he nodded in their direction. "Skyler. I hope all is well."

"Oh, it's wonderful here," Skyler answered with a smile. "And little Liam is no trouble at all."

"We ordered chinese," Elisa told him. "Would you like some?"

"That would be wonderful," Goliath answered on a sigh.

Elisa frowned at him. "Rough night?"

"No," Goliath answered. "Just happy to be home."

Elisa scooped a good sized portion of both the mongolian beef and the broccoli beef onto a plate, and placed it in the microwave.

"Tomorrow is the day that you get your awards, is it not?" He asked Elisa.

"Yes," Elisa said with an eyeroll. "I still don't know why we need to have a big ceremony and all of the trimmings that comes with it. The good news is that I got them to delay the ceremony until 7:00 p.m. by pleading overnight working hours, and they'll be doing it on the front steps of the precinct."

Goliath smiled at her. "That is good news. I will enjoy getting to be there to see it."

"Why so late?" Skyler asked, puzzled.

Elisa blinked at her for a moment. "Oh, right… you haven't seen that particular event yet."

"What?" Skyler asked, more confused than ever.

"I'll explain in a bit," Elisa said, glancing at the time. "For right now, we'll just say that the Gargoyles don't get around in the daylight."

"Oooookay," Skyler drew out.

Elisa chuckled. "Sorry to be so mysterious, but I really will explain soon."

"No problem," Skyler said. "I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of new things heading my way. I will try to be patient. In the meantime," Skyler gently placed Liam on the floor beside her so that she could get to her feet. She gently picked Liam up from the floor and placed him in the crook of her arm. "I think it is time for the little guy and I to get bathed and ready for bed."

"Go ahead," Elisa told her. "We'll be up to say goodnight in a little bit."

"Take your time," Skyler urged. "I will let you know when he is ready to go to sleep."

Once Skyler left the room, Goliath swept an arm out and around Elisa's waist to draw her closer. Elisa laughed as he drew her close for a kiss.

"I really did want to see you get an award," Goliath said softly, into her hair.

"I know you do," Elisa said with a sigh. "I guess I just wish it was for something that I felt I earned."

Goliath drew back enough to look into her eyes. "You do not think you earned one for rescuing Liam?"

Elisa shook her head. "Not really. I mean, yes, I am happy that I was there, that it was me that found him," Elisa struggled to explain her feelings. "But that's it. I found him. The doctors and the ambulance workers saved him. In comparison, I didn't do that much. Besides," She nodded towards the sound of running water in the bathroom, "I got the better end of the deal, being able to bring him home. Being able to keep him."

Goliath smiled then. "We did. We have Liam now, and a child of our own."

"Exactly," Elisa said softly, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I am glad as well," Goliath said softly. He gently tipped her face up so that he could meet her lips with his own.

A few short hours later, Elisa first explained and then showed Skyler how the Gargoyles spent the day in stone hibernation.

Since the award ceremony took place after dark, but early enough that Elisa was going to have to leave before the sun actually went down, Elisa also explained about how they broke free of their stone skins when they awoke in the evenings.

Skyler was more interested than scared, so Elisa answered as many questions about the clan as she could.

Elisa finally had to call it quits soon after though. Both women needed sleep, and Liam still wasn't sleeping eight solid hours yet.

"Go ahead," Skyler urged her. "I'm right next door, and I'm a light sleeper. If Liam wakes up, I can be there for him."

"Thanks," Elisa said, thankful once more that the Xanatos' had found her for them. Already, she was a bit of a lifesaver.

Elisa changed into her favorite cotton sleep pants and matching top. She was tired, and her day was starting earlier than she would have liked.

She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

Elisa stood on the steps of the 23rd precinct, dressed in her dress blue uniform and blinking rapidly in the glaring lights from all of the television cameras that stood in a half moon ring that was several people thick.

Camera flashes lit the area in a strobe type effect.

Elisa knew it was going to be a few days before people would stop coming up to her on the street and praising her for something that she only saw as doing her job. She had hope that having her picture in the papers in her uniform, one that she very rarely wore, maybe people wouldn't recognize her as often.

She'd meant what she'd said to Goliath. It was hard for her to accept the congratulations and awards when she felt like she got the best end of things.

She got Liam.

She stood at the podium, smiled and accepted the plaque and the medal. She posed for the pictures and answered some questions for the media.

All the while, she fought the urge to look at the rooftops. She knew that Goliath was there somewhere.

The pomp and circumstance was all a little much for her, and she wanted nothing more than to duck into an alley and have him get her out of there.

Finally, thank the Gods, it was over. The reporters peeled off and departed in their vans and cars. The mayor and his entourage retreated, and Elisa was finally allowed to go back in the station and change back into her regular clothes.

Finally comfortable for the first time since getting to work that night, back in her blue jeans and tee shirt, Elisa made her way back to her desk.

"Cute kid," Matt said, holding the framed picture of Liam that Elisa had placed on her desk.

"Thanks," Elisa said. "I think so."

"With his coloring, he could pass as your natural born son." Matt said with a grin, placing the picture back in its place. "You going to tell him he's adopted?"

"He'll find out someday," Elisa said. "I'll tell him, when he's old enough and secure enough to understand."

"Can I still be 'Uncle Matt'?" He asked with a grin.

Elisa gave him an exasperated look. "Why don't you and Pamela settle down and get a kid of your own to spoil?"

"Spoiling yours is more fun," Matt said. "I can spoil him silly, and send him home to you when I'm done."

"Gods help me," Elisa replied with an eye roll. "Come on, partner. I have the need to get out of here, and back out on the street where I belong."

"Deal," Matt said.

"Anything good on the hot sheets?" Elisa asked, referring to the nightly crime report of updated cases.

Matt shrugged. "A few B and Es, a hit and run with property damage and a group of kids trespassing at a warehouse."

"Anyone already assigned?"

"Christianson and Martinez are taking on the hit and run." Matt admitted. "The other two are still unassigned."

Elisa dug out a quarter. "Heads the B and E. Tails, the juvenile delinquents."

"Deal," Matt said.

Elsia flipped the coin in the air, the fluorescent lights glinting off of the edged as the thin silver disc rotated in the air. Elisa caught it, and flattened it on the top of her desk. Lifting her hand, she grinned.

"Tails," Elisa announced.

"Let's go talk to some witnesses about some kids." Matt said. "Toss that thing again and let's see who gets to drive."

Elisa grinned. "Heads or tails?"

Matt and Elisa pulled onto the Third avenue Bridge, heading for Lincoln and 132nd, the last reported place of the kids in question.

"How long ago did the call come in?" Elisa asked, looking the report over. Matt won the coin toss, so they were currently driving in his beat up gray lexus.

Oh, it may have started out silver, but the man never washed the thing, so it looked more dingy gray than anything.

Elisa took the opportunity to look over the reports. Five in all. Same group of kids, roughly counted at 12, meeting up, starting fires in trash cans and whooping it up.

"No drug paraphernalia found, no liquor bottles left behind," she said, puzzled. "What are these kids doing?"

"Who knows," Matt said. "Call came in about 20 minutes before you got there, but was rated a pretty low priority. Big cases already assigned by the time you got to the station, so we get this." Matt turned onto Lincoln Avenue. "It's a junkyard on our left.." he trailed off, spotting the fence and home made painted sign. "There it is."

"OK," Elisa said, tucking the papers under the passenger visor. "Park on the side, and let's see what we can fine in there."

"Yes, ma'am," Matt said, coming to a quiet stop.

Together, the partners stepped from the vehicle and slowly made their way to the entrance. A thick chain and lock held the tall chain link gates together, but allowed them to swing open just enough for the two slim adults to pass through.

"Nice security here," Matt said quietly.

"It's a junkyard," Elisa replied in a similar volume. "What is there to steal?"

"Fair enough," Matt whispered.

"Listen," Elisa said, holding up a hand to stop Matt.

The sound of voices reached their ears from somewhere towards the rear of the junkyard.

"They're still here?" Matt asked, incredulous.

"Seems like," Elisa said.

"How should we handle this?" Matt asked.

"Let's take a look," Elisa suggested. "I'll take a peek. You call it in."

"Okay," Matt said, doubtfully. "You be careful."

"You got it," Elisa said. She drew her weapon, and crept forward. She was hoping that they were dealing with some rowdy kids, and just the threat of jail would scare them off… but even kids these days were armed.

The closer to the rear of the large yard she got, the louder and clearer the voices got.

"...that they'll get the message?" came a raised female voice.

"They'll get it," a male roice said in return. "You all know the plan. We go after the one thing that they come here for, and they'll come to us. They'll listen to us."

"They'll have to," said another voice.

Elisa frowned, trying to make sense of the conversation.

"So, it's happening," came an authoritative male voice. "We keep in contact. First opening, and we take the chance."

"What about those Gargoyle things?" a female voice said. "They're everywhere."

The leader gave an inelegant snort. "There's only six of them. We draw them out. Separate them. Keep them busy elsewhere."

Elisa reached up and clicked on her communicator so that she could pass the information on the the clan. "Hey guys, I'll explain later, but for now I need you guys to listen up."

"Gotcha," Lexington's voice came through.

"We cause disturbances through the city. Keep them busy, and we take care of our business. We join up at our base, and we wait."

Cheers raised from the gathering, and a lot of unintelligible yells followed.

One phrase caught Elisa's attention, however.

"Oberon can't ignore us forever." the leader yelled over the noise.

Elisa felt herself jump a little in surprise. "What in the world?" Elisa muttered. She started looking for a space between the piles of crushed cars, hoping to get a glimpse of someone in the crowd.

A small shaft of flickering firelight caught Elisa's attention. She had to stand on tiptoe to see through it, but it was a decent view.

Three metal barrels had fires lit in them, but that was the only light in the place. The leader stood a head and shoulders above the rest, making Elisa think that he was standing on a platform of some kind. He had a body to match the booming voice, with broad shoulders and a squared jawline. With longer black hair, threaded through with some bright blue streaks, he looked to be in either his late teens or possibly early twenties.

"Did they just say Oberon?" Lex asked.

"Yeah," Elisa said quietly.

"Are they serious?" Lex asked. "Or are they just a bunch of new age kids, trying to cause trouble?"

"They look serious, Lex," Elsia admitted, trying to memorize as many of the faces as she could.

She jumped as a hand clamped on her shoulder.

"Sorry," Matt said quietly. "Backups on its way."

"Thanks, Matt." Elisa answered. She was still watching through the opening at the group of kids.

The sound of sirens broke over the groups yelling, and they immediately scattered.

"Damn," Elisa swore.

Matt and Elisa, after working together for years, peeled away from their hiding wall together. Weapons drawn, they stepped out into the light.

"NYPD," Matt shouted. "Freeze."

One girl, who had been running in their direction, skidded on the gravel, falling on her rump, and attempted to get to her feet to run the other direction.

Elisa clamped a hand on her arm and forced her down to the ground. "Stay down," She ordered the girl, as she dug her handcuffs out of her back pocket.

Matt had attempted to catch another runner, but hadn't wanted to get too far from Elisa's side. Giving up, he moved back towards Elisa as she was sitting the girl up to ask her questions.

"Matt," Elisa called to him as she watched the last of the kids bail over the fence toward freedom. "Go let the backup officers know which way they went."

Matt looked at her confusedly, then jogged off to catch the officers before they left their vehicles.

"Now," Elisa said, dropping to a knee in front of the now angry girl, "What in the world were you kids doing out here?"

The girl clamped her mouth shut and glared.

Elisa sighed. "I heard you guys yelling about Oberon," Elisa said casually, getting the girl to her feet. "Shakespeare fans?"

The girl practically snarled.

"Please tell me you guys are some rogue literary club, and not a big group of psuedo- religious nuts of some kind." Elisa said, lacing her voice with a healthy dose of sarcasm. "You know, the ones who go out in a field, bang a drum and praise Thor the Thunder God."

The girl remained tight lipped until Elisa got her outside of the fence, and into the light from the police vehicles. The flashing strobe effect from the red and blue rooftop lights gave the scene an eerie, otherworldly appearance.

"Hey guys," Elisa called out to the two officers who remained behind with their car. "We caught one fish," Elisa nodded to the sullen teenager. "Might be more hiding in there. Would you mind doing a sweep, just to make sure we don't have any stragglers?"

The officers agreed, and pulled out their flashlights to take a look around.

"Thanks guys," Elisa said, leading the cuffed girl to the squad car.

Elisa opened the door to a squad car, and put her hand on the girl's to keep her from hitting her head on the way into the backseat. The girl turned, opened her mouth as if to speak, then got her first good look at the woman who had arrested her.

The girl's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "It's you," She said, laughing.

Elisa frowned. Nothing good had ever come from anyone saying that to her.

Ever.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elisa bit out.

The girl just smiled, and it was the kind of smile that sent chills down her spine.

Elisa leaned in so that her head was in the backseat with the girl.

"What are you talking about?" She growled.

"Nothing," the girl answered sweetly. "Just that we were looking for you."

"Why?" Elisa demanded.

"What's the problem?" Matt demanded, not knowing what was going on, be recognizing the tone in his partner's voice.

"Nothing, sir," the girl said, sounding for all the world as if she were sweet and innocent.

"Bullshit," Elisa snapped.

"Elisa," Matt said, firmly taking her shoulder and pulling her out of the vehicle. He slammed the door shut as soon as there was no danger of hitting Elisa in the head. "What's going on?"

"She said she knows me," Elisa pointed to the girl on the other side of the glass. "That her and her group know me, and has been looking for me."

Matt didn't soften his voice. "A lot of people know you," he stated. "Your face is all over the news right now. She's just trying to get you to lose your temper."

"Mission freaking accomplished," Elisa snapped, then lowered her voice. "Matt, they were talking about the Gargoyles, and how they were going to draw them out to different areas. Separate them."

Matt frowned. "Seriously?" He reached in his pocket, putting his own communicator in his ear to get the clan involved, if they weren't already. "You guys hearing this?" He asked.

"Yes," Lexington said. "I have been passing along any information, but cut your direct transmission to the clan. I didn't want conversation to distract you."

"Good call," Elisa agreed. She was angry, but a good part of that was to cover the fact that she was getting scared. Scared for not only herself, but for the clan as well.

Knowing the clan was out there, however, and knowing Goliath, he would have heard her voice and come swooping in.

"What are they up to?" Matt asked.

"I didn't catch that part," Elisa admitted. "I heard something about Oberon, and about him not able to ignore them." She ran her hand through her hair. "I was hoping they were some crazy old - world - religious wannabes who wanted to use a ouija board to conjure spirits or something, but now I'm not sure."

Another police cruiser pulled up behind the car that was currently holding the one juvenile that they caught, followed by a third. Any chance for Elisa and Matt to talk without being overheard was lost.

The two officers came out from the yard, flashlights still in hand.

"They're all gone," One officer said. "Place is cleared out."

"Thanks guys," Matt called out, waving them over. "This one girl that we caught has made threats toward my partner. Any chance you guys could drop her off at the 23rd, so we can get a better idea of what was going on tonight?"

"Sure thing," One officer said, digging the keys out of his pocket. "Nothing else for us to do here anyway. Fire department is on their way to put out the trash fires, but someone else can wait for them. We'll follow you to the station, and you can escort her in from there."

"Deal," Elisa said grimly.

Once back in their own vehicle, Matt started his car, and steered back onto the road and towards the station.

"Maybe you'd better call the Captain," Matt suggested quietly.

"On it," Elisa said. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number that would rind directly to Captain Maria Chavez's desk.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a short ride to the station as Manhattan traffic went.

After calling Maria to let her know what was happening, she took to her com and spoke to the clan as a whole.

"Lex," Elisa called into the com. "I need to talk to Goliath."

"Patching him in now," Lex said.

There was a single popping noise on the line that signaled that connection had been made.

"Goliath," Elisa called out. "I need you to call everyone to the castle. No one goes anywhere. If you absolutely have to go out, you need to go in pairs."

"What is happening, Elisa?" Goliath's deep, rumbling voice answered.

"I don't know, yet," Elisa admitted. "But it sounds like there's a something big being planned that involves getting you guys out of the way. Stop at home, grab Liam and Skyler, and take them to the castle. I will get there as soon as I can."

"Alright," Goliath said. "I will make sure that our son and Skyler are safe, then everyone will be at the castle and we will be waiting for you."

"Thank you, big guy," Elisa said, feeling as if a a weight she didn't even know had been sitting on her chest was lifted. "I will get there as soon as I can."

"Be safe, my Elisa," He said.

"You too," Elisa said. Gingerly, she turned the comm off, and placed it in her inner coat pocket.

"God damn it," Elisa swore softly. She bent at the waist and held her head in her hands.

"Elisa?" Matt asked, worried about his partner.

"I'll be okay," Elisa said, trying to get a handle on her emotions. "I'll be okay as soon as everyone's at the castle. I'll be okay."

Matt kept on hand on the wheel, but laid a hand in support on her shoulder. "We'll be at the station in a few minutes."

"I know," Elisa said softly. "I need to get a hold of myself."

"Take a minute, Elisa." With a comforting squeeze, Matt put both hands back on the wheel. "Just take a minute, and I'll let you know when we get to the station."

"Thanks," Elisa said softly.

Elisa took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and took out her phone. She called her apartment, and almost felt like weeping when Skyler's cheerful voice answered.

"Skyler, this is Elisa," She said, her voice hoarse in relief. "Something has come up, and I need you to pack a bag of things for Liam and yourself. I'll explain later, but Goliath is on his way. He is going to take you both to the castle, and I will join you all as soon as I can."

"Okay," Skyler said, calmly. "Are you going to be okay? I can let Goliath take Liam, and I can wait here for you. Or I can come get you if you need me to."

"No," Elisa said. "I want you guys all in one place. I'm sure I'm over reacting, but as a cop, I've had threats made towards me before. I know that the apartment has some great security, but at the castle, you'll have the full clan with you."

"Alright," Skyler said. "I'll pack a bag, and Liam and I will be ready for when Goliath gets here."

"Thank you," Elisa said. "And I am so sorry."

"Don't worry about us. I'll text you when Goliath gets here, and I'll text you again when we are safe at the castle," Skyler said. "You be safe, and we'll see you soon."

Elisa said goodbye, and ended the call.

She turned her phone to vibrate, and placed the phone back in her jeans pocket.

"We are about a block away, Elisa," Matt reminded her softly.

"Thanks," Elisa said, running her hands over her face.

By the time that Matt parked, Elisa had pulled herself together. She was back to looking like her usual steady self, even if she felt like screaming on the inside.

Her life was almost always a mess. From Demona and MacBeth, from the Fae to the Hunters. All of whom had tried to kill her at some point.

What made her think she could take on a child, when she couldn't handle her own life?

Elisa took one more deep breath, ran a hand through her hair and tried to focus on the task at hand. She didn't have any idea of what was going on, and the worst thing she could do would be jumping to conclusions. She had to get the information from the girl, and she had to piece together what their plans were so that she could keep her friends and family safe.

Matt had to admire Elisa's iron will. Looking at the cool and confident woman who was striding up the stairs and into the noisy chaos that was the NYPD on a friday night, no one would be able to look at her and guess that anything was wrong.

Well, no one who didn't know her well, anyway. Judging by Maria's questioning look in their direction, Maria was one of the few who could see that something was upsetting Elisa.

Matt gestured with his head for Maria to follow them, and together the three officers went into one of the smaller meeting rooms, and locked the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked, as straight to the point as ever.

"I don't know yet," Elisa admitted, telling them both as accurate an accounting as she could. "It might be nothing, but…"

"But," Maria picked up, "it would be better if you questioned the girl and found out for sure."

"With me in the wings, just in case," Matt threw in firmly.

"Not in the room," Elisa shot back. "You can watch from behind the mirror, but not in front of it."

"Fine," Matt ground out. He'd be there, watching from the small room behind the two way mirror, but he was going to be there.

"Fine," Elisa shot back. Part of her was grateful for his presence, but a part of her still stubbornly wanted to fix things on her own.

"Just be careful," Maria urged them. "I'll try to keep everyone from going in there with you, but you keep an ear out for anyone that we don't necessarily want overhearing anything having to do with the Gargoyles."

"Agreed," Elisa said. "Where'd they take her?"

Maria checked the paperwork in front of her. "You're in luck. She's in room 8, and she's 18 years old."

"She's an adult. Awesome," Elisa said, heading for the door. "No juvenile services to muck things up."

"I didn't hear that," Maria said, throwing her hands up.

"I'll keep an eye on her, Captain," Matt hurried to reassure her before jogging to catch up with his partner.

As they approached the door, Elisa felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Retrieving the small device, she looked at the message screen.

" _ **Your guy, Liam and I are safe at the castle. All Members safe, and accounted for. Please be safe. See you soon. Skyler."**_

Feeling at ease for the first time in an hour, she took a steadying breath.

Elisa flung the door open, revealing the startled girl at the table before Elisa slammed the door behind her.

Elisa took the chair, pivoted it until she could sit on it backwards, her arms crossed on the back. She reached out, and flipped open the top cover of the file.

"Okay," Elisa scanned the info, "Jean Maynard. We're all alone now, so you want to tell me what you were talking about back there at the junkyard?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jean blinked those deceptive baby blue eyes at the detective.

"Bull," Elisa pronounced, slapping the cover of the file closed. "I have a witness that will swear before a judge that you were threatening an officer. You're over the age of 18, so that means jail time until your bail gets set, and I know a lot of judges," Elisa leaned forward, smiling that not nice smile at the young woman. "I can make sure that it takes a long time."

There was the slightest of flickers in the girl's eyes, and Elisa felt like she was getting close to unnerving her enough that she might spill the information.

"You wouldn't," she whispered.

"I would," Elisa said. "I am willing to bet that most of your file is fiction anyway, so that will take extra time to work through and verify, so I hope you like it here," Elisa tood and leaned across the table to scoop up the file.

She had every intention of letting Matt come in for a few minutes and try to be the good cop to her bad, but the girl reached up and grabbed a hold of Elisa's shirt.

"You think you're so smart," the girl's entire demeanor changed. "You don't even know what you are, let alone where you belong. You aren't human, at least not entirely human."

Elisa frowned angrily. "What are you talking about?"

The girl's face went blank, and she blinked at the detective a few times before answering. "You honestly don't know," Jean laughed then. "I thought you were just playing stupid, but you're not. You honestly think you're full human."

"Oh?" Elisa smirked. "Why don't you tell me what you think I am, then?"

"Oh, no," Jean drawled out slowly. "I would rather leave the mystery there for you to figure out, and I hope I'm there to see it."

Elisa had enough. She jerked back hard, trying to get out of Jean's grip. She succeeded in pulling her shirt out of the girl's grip, but Jean's hand managed to grab a hold of the necklace that Elisa had decided to wear that evening. Viciously, Jean jerked the necklace from Elisa's neck, breaking the chain.

There was a definite sizzle and then Jean was screaming.

Elisa stood in shock as Jean threw herself backward, and curled up in a ball in the corner.

The door to the room burst in, and Matt was suddenly there beside Elisa. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Elisa said. "She grabbed my shirt, and…" Elisa looked down and spotted her necklace. "Oh, god," ELisa muttered. She picked up the necklace and turned it in her fingers. "I think I have an idea. Don't let anyone in yet, Matt."

Elisa rushed to the woman on the floor and grabbed her hands. Elisa looked at the burns on the palms of the woman's hands to confirm her suspicions.

"You're Fae," Elisa said in shock.

"So are you," the girl cried. "It's diluted, but you have some fae in your blood. We recognize each other. Why didn't you come when the call went out? How did you resist?"

"What are you talking about?" Elisa snapped, "I'm not fae."

"If you can live with that around your neck, you are probably a few generations out, but you definitely have some fae in your family somewhere."

There was a loud knock at the door, and Matt hurried to answer it. After a moment, he stepped back from the door, letting the two waiting officers waiting in the hallway in. "Elisa, these officers are here to take Jean here to medical to get her hands looked at."

"Sure," Elisa answered, still a little stunned at the turn of events.

Jean had started crying piteously as soon as the other officers had entered the room. Elisa knew that the wounds were probably already healing, but she didn't want to call attention to it for the officers who wouldn't understand.

As soon as Jean and the officers were gone, Matt pushed Elisa down into a seat. Reaching around to the other chair, Matt pulled it over to the same side of the table next to her.

"What's going on?" Matt asked softly. "What happened to her hands?"

Elisa held up the small oddly tear shaped object. "This is the clapper from a bell."

Matt raised an eyebrow at her. "And?"

"Matt, this is the iron clapper from the iron bell that helped us defeat Oberon when we were in avalon. I took it with me when we left, just to have something on me that's iron at all time," Elisa whispered furiously. "Iron hurts the fae. It burns the skin, saps their powers, and could possibly be fatal in large enough doses."

"And it burned her," Matt said, jerking a thumb at the door that Jean had just gone through.

"So, that means she's fae," Elisa said, thoughtfully.

"But you said that Oberon called all the Fae back to avalon, right?"

"He called all of his 'children' home, yes," Elisa said. "With the exception of Puck, of course."

"So how is it that we have someone with Fae blood here in Manhattan?"

"The same whay that Fox and Alexander Xanatos are here," Elisa said quietly. Elisa raised her eyes to meet Matt's. "Oberon's children had children of their own."

"Why weren't they taken to Avalon with the rest?" Matt asked.

"Oberon probably didn't even think about it," Elisa said. "He didn't give Fox or Alexander a thought until Titania made a big deal about it."

"And she thinks that you're like her?" Matt asked doubtfully. "Why did the iron bother her and not you, if that were the case?"

"Think of it like genetics," Elisa said. "Say you and Pamela have a kid. If Pamela is allergic to… let's say Peanuts, but you are not, there is a percentage chance that your kid will have the allergy, too."

"Okay, I get that," Matt said.

"It might have a little something to do with how far away, generation wise, the fae connection is," Elisa mused out loud. "If I do have some fae blood in me, then it would be at least two generations back. Oberon only called his children home about six years ago. In Jean's case, she would have only been about twelve when that happened."

"Jeeze," Matt said, running his hand through his hair. "Any of those kids tonight would have been in their pre or early teens."

"One minute your parent is there, and the next, they just disappear."

"That would leave anyone angry," Matt pointed out.

"Something tells me that we have more to worry about than a group of angry teens," Elisa said. "They know who and what they are, and there was talk of getting Oberon's attention."

"How? How would you get the attention of someone on Avalon?" Matt asked.

"Fox," Elisa finished in a rush. "She'd know how to contact her own mom, right?"

Matt grabbed his keys. "Let's go ask her."


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm sorry, Elisa," Fox Xanatos said, shaking her head. "I don't have a way to contact my mother."

"But she's been here to visit you and the kids," Elisa pointed out.

"Very unexpectedly, I assure you," David Xanatos said. "She just shows up whenever the mood strikes her."

"What about you, Owen?" Elisa asked the blonde haired majordomo somewhat desperately. "Can you channel Puck and contact someone on Avalon?"

"I'm afraid not," Owen answered in his usual monotone. "I am forbidden to use my magic outside of the training or protection of Alexander."

"This _is_ for the protection of Alexander," Elisa shot back angrily. "I think these people are planning something, and it's not going to be pleasant."

"Unfortunately, we don't know anything for sure," Owen stated, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "I will keep a watchful eye out for anything suggesting danger, and the moment that something happens, I will be able to use Puck's abilities."

"Does Alexander know how to contact someone through a mirror?" Elisa asked, somewhat desperately.

"I'm afraid not," Owen said.

"Maybe it's time for Puck to train him," Fox said, finally seeing the direction that Elisa was going.

"Yes," Elisa said. "You can teach him how to call his grandmother."

A definite Puckish twinkle suddenly showed in Owen's eyes. "I think that can be arranged. I will go and gather what we will need, and I will meet you all in the grand hall shortly."

"Thank you," Elisa sighed. She rubbed at the headache that had been forming at her temples.

"In the meantime," Fox said, straightening from her position on the corner of her husband's large wooden desk, "I do believe that your son would like to see you before we continue with the night's activities."

Elisa nodded, and made her way to the clan's rooms near the top of Goliath's tower. In truth, all she really had to do was follow the laughter. She found Conner and Brenna playing with a very awake Liam.

Both Angela and Skyler were in the room, each keeping careful watch on the young ones.

"Elisa," Skyler called out. "The twins offered to help entertain Liam, and he is loving it." Skyler got to her feet and walked casually towards her employer. She lowered her voice in hopes of not alerting the children that something was wrong. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Elisa assured her. "I just wanted to stop and check up on you both and make sure that you didn't need anything."

"Oh, we're fine," Skyler smiled. "The clan is an amazing group. They circled the wagons, and have been out on the parapets keeping watch since they all got here."

Elisa nodded. "I need to go find Goliath, and then speak with the rest of the clan. I hate to ask this, but would you be able to watch the twins for a little bit so that I can get Angela in on the group debriefing?"

Skyler nodded. "Don't worry about us," she smiled. "They're great fun, and enjoy helping take care of their... Uncle?"

Elisa laughed. "Uncle. I didn't think about that, but that's right. Liam is Angela's brother, and the twins' uncle."

"I hadn't thought of that," Angela said with a smile. "Our little family keeps getting bigger and bigger."

"That's not a bad thing," Skyler said. "Now, you ladies go take care of business. We'll be fine here."

"Thank you," Elisa said, giving the girl's shoulder a squeeze. "It's not always this crazy around here."

"Not crazy," Skyler assured her. "Interesting."

Elisa rolled her eyes and laughed. It was nice, having this moment of laughter before things were going to go sideways. Faeries and magic were two things that she had not had good experiences with in the past.

There was a first time for everything though…

Please let this be the first time…

Elisa had found Goliath easy enough, and from there, the rest of the clan. Together with David Xanatos, they met in the large great hall where they could all gather together to hear the news of the newest developments.

The clan was curious about what had happened to cause their patrols cut short, and Elisa spent several minutes trying to get the clan caught up to speed as well as her suspicions as to what the group of half fae were up to.

"And you think that they will come here?" Angela asked.

"I don't know," Elisa admitted. "They have somehow connected you guys as a threat to their goal. They want to draw you guys out and keep you busy so that they can get to their main objective."

"Which might be Alexander," Lexington stated.

"Or Fox," Elisa pointed out. "She is Titania's daughter, after all. Who knows what this group of people are after."

"True," Hudson said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "But surely, if they knew this much, they would know that neither the boy nor his mother would be unprotected, even if we were away from the castle."

"They might not know about Puck," Elisa pointed out. "Besides, Oberon has declared you under his protection. None of the fae are allowed to touch you, and his word is law."

"Yeah, but how would they know that?" Brooklyn asked.

"If Titania and Oberon can communicate through mirrors," Goliath pondered, "Who is to say that they are the only ones?"

"You mean that someone else on Avalon is calling out?" Elisa asked, incredulous. "Who would dare to break Oberon's decree?"

"Would you not go against orders to see Liam if he were far away?" Goliath asked, quietly.

"Yes," Elisa answered with absolutely no hesitation at all. "Yes, I would."

"As would I," Goliath said.

"So it's a parent," Angela stated. "One of the parents reached out, told the kid everything, and then the kid rounded up others?"

"Looks like that," Elisa said. "I guess there was some kind of magical signal that went out, and called to the others to come here…" Elisa raised panicked eyes to Goliath's. "Oh, gods…"

Elisa turned on her heel and began walking quickly in the direction that she'd come. She had heard something like that not long ago.

Skyler.

"What?" David Xanatos asked sharply. He knew the woman enough to know when something was horribly wrong.

"Skyler," Elisa yelled over her shoulder, not breaking her stride. "Skyler said that she'd felt like something was pulling her in this direction. It's why she came to Manhattan."

Skyler had said that she had felt pulled to the area, which was odd, being that she'd lived her whole life in Colorado and knew no one in New York. Manhattan was not an easy place to live in if you had no one you knew there.

Elisa heard the footfalls of the clan behind her, and still she kept walking. Finally at the door to the room where the kids were playing, Elisa burst through, knocking the door into the wall behind it with a loud enough sound to startle everyone in the room.

The twins jumped. Liam howled in fright.

Skyler threw herself in front of the children with a definite look of challenge on her face. The look faded as she saw who it was.

"Oh, Elisa. Sorry I…" She trailed off as the woman advanced into the room with a grim determination.

Elisa grabbed Skyler's arm and backed her into a corner of the room.

"I am going to ask you this only once, and if I am wrong, I will apologize for it," Elisa said bluntly. "What are you?"

"Wha.. What?" Skyler stammered, stunned.

"Are you human?" Elisa ground out.

"Of course," Skyler announced. "What else would I be?"

"Hold out your hand," Elisa demanded.

Skyler obediently held out her hand, only to flinch when the solid iron of Elisa's necklace landed in her palm.

"Ouch," Skyler yelped, pulling her hand away. "What was.."

"Iron," Elisa said grimly. "You're one of them."

"One of who?" Skyler demanded. "Elisa, I don't understand. I have an allergic reaction to Iron. I can't even take iron supplements, or I get sick."

"Iron," Goliath said, standing upright and tall next to his mate, "can not be tolerated, in any amount, by someone with Fae blood."

"Fae?" Skyler asked, desperately trying to understand. "As in, Faeries?"

"Yes," Elisa said softly. "You said that something pulled you this way, to New York. What was it?"

"I don't know," Skyler cried out. "A.. a feeling, I guess?"

"Guys," Brooklyn said, stepping up to stand near the small group. "I don't think Skyler knows anything about it."

"What?" Elisa said, glaring at Brooklyn. She was so caught up in her anger and frustrations, that the words didn't sink in right away.

"Elisa," Brooklyn said softly, gesturing to the young woman, "Look at her."

Elisa turned back to look at Skyler and for a moment the haze of fear that had come over her a few minutes ago cleared. Before her, she saw Skyler, the bright eyed innocent little thing who had met with Elisa at a coffee shop on the off chance of getting a job. The girl who had taken a cutting from a rosebush and carried it with her across the country.

The girl that the clan had taken under their wing as a new friend.

"Oh my god," Elisa released her grip on Skyler's arm immediately. "Skyler, I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking I was going to hurt the kids, I get it," Skyler said, her head bowed. "I'll leave if you want me to."

"I don't think that will be necessary," A familiar voice said from the doorway.

David Xanatos, clad in his usual black businesslike attire, was standing in the doorway. With deceptive casualness, he leaned against the doorframe. "In fact, I think that Skyler could be of some use to us."

"What do you have in mind, Xanatos?" Elisa ground out.

"If she was feeling the pull to come here, then someone in that halfling group is sending out a call to others like themselves. What if our Miss Skyler were to go undercover for us. Keep an eye on the activities so that we can be prepared for what they are planning."

"If that would help you to believe me," Skyler sniffled, "I'll do whatever you want. I don't know what this is all about, but I swear to you," she looked into Elisa's face, "I have no reason to harm any of you."

Elisa felt a wave of relief so profound that it brought tears to her eyes. "I am so sorry, Skyler." She threw her arms around the young woman. "This whole 'being a mom' thing is new to me. I think someone may be coming here, to the castle, and may try to hurt everyone to get to the kids, and I just…"

"Freaked?" Lexington tossed in helpfully.

"Yeah," Elisa laughed as she swiped at the tears on her face. "I freaked."

"Miss Henricks," Xanatos said, gesturing towards the hall behind him, "Would you come with me please?"

Syler nodded, and quietly left the room.

Elisa hung her head, embarrassment coloring her face. "I really did it this time, didn't I?"

Goliath placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You were protecting our son from a potential threat," He said quietly. "I do not believe any of us hold that against you."

"Skyler might," Elisa said, sadly.

Angela had seated herself on the floor, next to the children, calming them from the excitement of the last few minutes. "Did you see how she was prepared to protect the children?" Angela pointed out. "She was prepared to fight anything that came through that door. She loves the kids, even after so short a time." Angela cuddled Brenna, the more emotional of her twins. "I think she will understand that you were upset."

"I hope so," Elisa said.

"Why don't you go find out what Xanatos has in mind for her?" Brooklyn suggested.

Elisa nodded. "That's not a bad idea," she admitted.

Goliath gave her shoulder a firm squeeze in support and Elisa turned toward the door.

Elisa joined the Xanatos' in David's office.

Fox and David were sitting behind the intimidating mahogany desk, while Skyler fidgeted in her chair facing them.

David had a large file in front of him, and he was very obviously scanning it slowly to make Syler nervous.

Elisa rolled her eyes. It was such an obvious move, and one she was familiar with as she'd used it herself with suspects in an interrogation room.

"Alright, Xanatos," Elisa said briskly, walking over to take the seat next to Skyler. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in support, then leaned forward towards the couple. "What's your plan?"

"First and foremost," David said, leaning back in his chair, "What do you remember about your parents?"

"I don't remember my father," Skyler admitted. "I have a vague memory of a tall man with dark hair, but that's about it." She shrugged. "For the majority of my life, it was just my mother and I."

"That's an odd thing," Xanatos admitted. "You have given me your mother's name, but there are no records of such a person. No work records, no driver's licenses, not even a birth record of anyone with the name of Stella Florence Henrick."

Skyler blinked at Xanatos in confusion. "That was her name, I swear it. It's on my birth certificate."

"Oh, I have a copy of it here," Xanatos said, gesturing to the file, "but it doesn't change the fact that it is the only form of record that I can find with that name on it.""Did she ever use a different name?" Elisa asked.

"I remember one time," Skyler said, slowly, "my aunts came to visit. One of them called her Phoebe, but I thought it was a joke pet name or something."

"Sisters?" Elisa prompted. "What were your aunts names?"

"Selene and Luna," Skyler said. "But they vanished about the time that my mom did. The social workers tried to find them when I was taken into foster care, but they never came to get me." Skyler shrugged casually to hide the fact that it had hurt deeply to have no one come forward to help her.

Elisa couldn't believe her ears. "Wait. Selene, Luna and Phoebe? Skyler, are you sure?"

"Yes," Skyler said, frowning. "Why?"

"Are you familiar with Shakespeare?" Xanatos asked.

"Just what I was forced to read in high school," Skyler admitted.

"In MacBeth," Xanatos continued, reclining back in his plush chair, "There were three witches who met with MacBeth in the woods."

"Double, double, toil and trouble," Elisa chanted sarcastically.

"Oh, okay," Skyler said, her face showing the puzzlement. "I kind of remember them now."

"They are some of Oberon's children," Elisa said. "Triplets. But I thought they were always together."

"All siblings fight," Xanatos said. "Even the close ones. I guess Phoebe wanted some time away."

"And had a child so close to the gathering," Elisa reminded him. "Luna would have seen that coming and put a stop to it."

"Unless," Xanatos mused, "There is an important reason for Skyler to be here."

"What?" Skyler asked. "What does Auntie Luna have to do with anything?"

"After we we encountered the triplets, or as their often referred to as the 'weird sisters', we did a lot of research," Elisa admitted.

"The three sisters are considered the personifications of Fury, Grace and Fate." Xanatos said. "With the gathering so close, Luna with her gift Fate, should have seen that they wouldn't have enough time to carry, birth and raise a child."

"Unless there's a reason that I am supposed to be here," Skyler said slowly.

"Maybe they saw this happening?" Fox suggested. "If these… What do we call them? Halflings?... If they are really going to be trouble, maybe Skyler is going to play a part in helping us to stop them."

Elisa felt horrible, but the thought went through her head that if Skyler wasn't there to help them, then she was there to help the halflings. If that were true, they had just invited the enemy into their house.

"I don't know what I can do," Skyler admitted. "I don't have any special abilities. I don't even know where they are."

"Do you still feel whatever you thought was calling you to the area?" Elisa asked.

"Not really," Skyler admitted. "It stopped as soon as I got to Manhattan. A few times I kind of had a feeling that I should go for a walk, turn this way and not that way kind of things, but I mostly ignored it. I'm new here, and I didn't want to get lost."

"So, it was like a hyper sensitive form of intuition," Fox concluded.

"I guess so," Skyler admitted. "Honestly, I've never felt anything like it."

"Have you felt anything like it recently?" Elisa asked.

"Yes," Skyler admitted, "It's been really insistant the last week or so, but I started working for you, and couldn't just walk out and try to find… whatever it is that is making me feel like this. I just thought it was new beginning jitters, since I just moved here."

"I get something similar," Elisa admitted. "People chalk it up to being a cop and having that kind of intuition."

Skyler looked at her then. "Have you been feeling it, too?"

"I'm restless," Elisa admitted. "And I have a bad feeling that something's happening, but I've been so tired lately with Liam's schedule that I just chalked it up to a lack of sleep." She frowned thoughtfully. "One of those Halfling kids said something, and it's been bothering me. If those with Fae blood are being gathered together somehow… Maybe it's not just the lack of sleep making me feel off."

"What do you mean?" David Xanatos asked, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

"I mean, one of those half fae kids looked me in the eye and all but called me one of them." Elisa said.

"You have Fae ancestry?" Fox laughed, then paused a moment to think. "You know, it does make sense."

"What makes sense?" Goliath asked entering the office.

"That your wife," Fox gestured towards the detective, "Is part Fae."


	9. Chapter 9

Goliath looked at his wife. "Are you certain?"

Elisa shook her head. "Big Guy, I'm not sure of anything right now."

"Hear me out," Fox said, standing from her perched position on the corner of David's desk. "First of all, your speed. You have some damn good reflexes, and some of that might be attributed to your martial arts training, but I've always thought that you were one of the fastest people on the planet. I have taken my share of swings at you, and I can vouch for your reaction time. It's almost super human, depending on the stakes of the fight." Fox began ticking things off on her fingers. "Two, your 'cop's intuition' is insanely accurate. Three, you have this knack for handling the preternatural with a calm that blows my mind."

"She did accept us very quickly," Goliath said, deep in his own thoughts. "And all of the beings that we met when Avalon sent us different places in the world to meet up with Oberon's other children."

"Would it have made things any easier if I had flipped out?" Elisa asked.

"It is an interesting theory," David said. "I wonder which of Oberon's kids got mixed up with your family and when."

"Coyote," Goliath said.

"The trickster?" Elisa asked in disbelief.

"What makes you say that?" David asked, his attention fully on the Gargoyle leader.

"He took the form of your father when he was young," Goliath pointed out to Elisa. "And he said that he had a special interest in your family."

"That was because my father danced the Kachina dance." Elisa pointed out.

"He was not the only human to do so, and he certainly wasn't the last," Goliath argued. "So why your father? Why your family?"

"He has a point," Fox said. "Oberon's kids are not known to be particularly loyal or interested in humans, even if they are family."

There was a discreet cough from across the room.

"Present company excluded," David said smoothly.

"Thank you, Mr. Xanatos," Owen said.

"Don't mention it," David said, mostly out of habit where Owen was concerned. "We'll just have to speculate, I'm afraid. It's not like there is a blood or DNA test available."

Elisa saw the sudden gleam in his eyes. "I don't want or need a test. It doesn't matter."

"It would be pretty far down in your family line," Fox said. "So it would be pretty diluted by now. Your mom had never even been to the reservation where your grandparents lived, so it's not like Coyote and your mother…"

Fox drifted off, seeing the warning look in the detective's eyes.

"For now," David said, heading off any arguments that might pop up between the two strong females. "Let's just assume that Elisa has some of Oberon's bloodline in her heritage. If either she or Skyler are able to tune in to whatever kind of homing signal that they are putting out, that could help us, tremendously."

"Help with what?" Elisa asked. "So far, they haven't done anything."

"So far, that is so," Owen said, finally stepping forward into the discussion. "But if they are truly planning something involving the gargoyles and this building, we need to know what they are up to."

"The building itself is armed with the best security system known to man," David said with a smirk, "and a few of my own touches as well."

"Of course," Elisa said dryly.

"Perhaps we should talk about this with the rest of the clan present. They are waiting for news in the Great Hall." Goliath suggested. "We will need to be prepared as well."

"Of course," David said. "Shall we meet back in the great hall in ten minutes?"

Goliath nodded his agreement, and together with Elisa, they went in search of the rest of the clan's members.

The pair was almost to the hall's entryway when Goliath started to chuckle.

"What?" Elisa asked, puzzled.

Goliath placed an arm across her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I always knew that was something unique about you."

"Yeah," Elisa groused. "I can't just be a normal person. I'm a freaking fairy."

Goliath chuckled once more, turning to gather her in his arms. "You are only _part_ fairy."

"Oh, well then," Elisa said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "That makes it all so much better."

Goliath gave her a quick kiss and a comforting hug before taking her hand and preceding her into the Great Hall.

The Gargoyles were gathered around the room. They all looked expectantly at the couple as they entered.

Suddenly, Elisa's police radio sparked to life.


	10. Chapter 10

"Attention all units. An anonymous 9-1-1 call received of a hostage situation. Gunman holding a group of children hostage. Connection was bad, but we know it is at a park. All available officers, please respond. Report to nearest city park, and call out an 'all clear' to receive further instructions."

Elisa grabbed at her radio. "Detective Maza reporting. I am 10-86, but will be heading to retrieve my vehicle now. I am in the area of Central Park, south end."

"Proceed with caution," the dispatcher responded. "A command center has already been established in that area, corner of Center and 59th."

The voices of more responding officers were calling in rapid succession, and Elisa had to turn the radio down to talk to the Gargoyles.

"I have to go," Elisa said, firmly.

"You may need our help," Goliath said, concerned.

"All of the officers may need our help." Angela pointed out. "But I thought we were supposed to stay here…"

"We have to help," Goliath said, grimly. "We must protect our home."

"Lex, can you tune the communicators to the police channels?" Brooklyn asked.

"Sure can," Lexington said with a smug smile. "We can hear them, but they can't hear us."

"Good," Brooklyn said. "Everyone, spread out. Keep an ear open to the radios. If there's nothing going on where you are, move on to the next place. We meet back here before dawn, one way or the other."

"But the children," Angela said, still concerned over the halfling threat.

"I'll stay," Came the monotoned voice of Owen Burnett. "If anything should happen, we are well equipt here to take care of the building, and anyone inside."

"And I'm here," Skyler said softly. "They'll be cared for."

Elisa nodded. If the halflings were able to get past the security system, they would still have the Xanatos' and Puck to deal with.

And they wouldn't be expecting of their own to be there. Skyler had already proven that she was willing to place herself between the kids and danger.

"Alright," Elisa nodded. "But we all meet back here before dawn. I don't want any of you caught out in the open."

The gargoyles voiced their agreement, even as they headed for the door to the courtyard. Elisa broke away, heading for the elevators.

Within minutes, thanks to the express function on the Xanatos Enterprise elevators, Elisa was back on street level and heading to the parking structure that held her car.

Elisa started her car and flipped on the lights and sirens. The closer she got to Central Park, the more her sirens blended in to the sound and rhythm of countless more police vehicles swarming the area.

With a squealing of rubber tires on pavement, Elisa slammed her car into park. In situations like this, where there was a large area to cover, there was always a "command center" set up to help organize officers and aid in search efforts. They would have a map of the area, and assign people according to the grid on the map.

There was a small group of officers at the entrance to the park on 59th and Center, and Elisa headed that way figuring that to be the head officer in charge. There was on large male officer, radio in hand, and a map spread out over the hood of his squad car.

"Detective Maza, from the 23rd precinct," Elisa said on arrival. "Where do you need me?"

"Grab a vest," The man said, gesturing to a small stack of bullet proof vests in his backseat. "I need someone at the Heckscher Playground," The man said, not looking up. He took a marker out of his pocket and wrote her name on the area. "Call me on channel 12 if you find anything, or when it's cleared."

"Got it," Elisa said, tuning her radio to that station. She efficiently grabbed the offered vest, and expertly strapped it onto her torso over her red coat. The reflective silver lettering identifying her as NYPD.

She took off at a run, ignoring the roadways and the jogging paths. The good thing about being on foot, was that she could cut across the open, grassy areas. A few minutes later, she approached the playground and slowed to a more cautious walk.

The Heckscher Playground was the oldest and largest playground in Central Park. It was almost three acres of playground equipment and play structures that would be easy enough to hide in.

Elisa crouched by one of the largest structures and listened. If someone was there, with a lot of children, there would be noise of some sort.

After a moment, there was the sound of rustling to her left. Elisa drew her weapon, careful to keep it held to her side and out of sight.

Another officer clad in a similar buttler proof vest, approached quietly and slowly.

Elisa nodded her acknowledgement, and motioned him over.

In whispered tones and hand gestures, they both communicated that their next moves. Together, they entered the large open playground. She took the right side, while he took the left. Together, they made a sweep through the area, careful to inspect every structure and nook around the expansive area.

Three more officers had joined them, and even then, it took them longer than Elisa had hoped to take.

"Newberry to base," The officer who had originally joined Elisa spoke into his radio. "Heckscher Playground area is clear."

"10-4," the gravelly voice of the base commanding officer replied. "Central Park is clear. Please report back to base, and report with your individual stations as to what to do next."

There was an almost audible sigh of relief that emanated from the group Elisa was in, and a moment later, they were hoofing it back to the base commanding officer.

"What do you think the chances are that this is real?" One of the younger officers asked out loud. It didn't really seem pointed to anyone, so Elisa didn't feel the need to respond.

"It could be some kid out for a few laughs," another officer said. "I mean, they hit all the buzz words that would scatter the cops. Shooter, kids and an unknown location."

"Yeah," Another officer said, "If someone wanted to go on a crime spree, that's the only call they'd have to make, and police would scatter to the four corners."

Elisa hesitated and almost toppled over a misstep. It was true. The call had thrown out everything that made sure that all available officers would be scattered all over the island.

Not only that, but it had scattered the Gargoyles as well.

"Oh, shit," Elisa swore out loud. Elisa dug out the clan's communicator, and slammed it home into her ear. Not caring who heard, but out of pure habit, Elisa grabbed her cell phone, placing it to her ear so that people would think she was talking to someone on the other end of it.

"Goliath," Elisa called out, "Please be there."

Elisa broke off from the group of other officers, heading in a straight line for her car.

"Elisa," Goliath's voice rang in her ear. "What is wrong? Have you found the one responsible?"

"No," Elisa shouted. "I think it was a false report. I think it was the Halflings, and they were trying to get you all out of the castle. I am heading back there now…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion that sounded in the distance, and Elisa swore that she felt the resulting shockwave in her chest.

Looking up, Elisa could only stare in horror as she found the cloud of smoke billowing from the familiar Xanatos Enterprises building.

Elisa stood in shock, the phone dropping from her suddenly numb fingers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Angela:**

Angela had chosen to go to Battery Park. It was large, and the farthest South, so she only took that one to go through. Many of the others took two or three, depending on the distance and park size, but she had chosen to do just the one.

She kept to the building roofs, and when that was no longer an option, she took to the treetops.

She stood ready to help the officers that had swarmed the area, keeping her eyes and ears open in case her help was needed.

When the park had been cleared, she took back to the skies, catching an updraft that would help her get back to the height that she'd need to get back to the top of the Aerie building.

She was just making out the outline of the building on the horizon, with the ancient castle on the top, when the explosion happened. The fireball appeared first, the sudden yellow and orange of the flames lighting up the midnight darkened sky, with what looked like a rain of fire and debris raining down onto the street below.

In the few moments that it took for Angela to process what she was seeing, the soundwave hit her with a deafening roar. Her heart felt as if it had screeched to a sudden and painful halt, her body paralyzing in fear.

All she could think at that moment was that her children were still in the building.

That thought spurred her on, shaking her from the sudden paralysis, and she folded her wings to gather speed so that she could get to the castle.

 **Broadway:**

Marcus Garvey Park was a good sized park, and was the farthest from the castle on his chosen route.

He stayed in communication with the clan through the communicator in his ear, especially with Lexington who was relaying information from the police radio as information was coming in. A lot of the smaller parks had already been searched, and the larger parks were starting to be cleared as more and more officers began converging on the areas.

This particular park had a large recreation center for Manhattan residents to gather and participate in sporting events. The park had a large swimming pool and several sport fields that were used primarily on the weekends for everything from Extreme Frisbee matches to soccer matches.

Broadway had seen a few events on his patrols, even stopping to watch a few when he had the time. He enjoyed watching the kids play, kicking the round ball from one side of the field to the other.

In his time, more than a century ago, there were similar games played by the youth of the kingdom. They kids tended to stop playing when the Gargoyles were near, as their parents had taught them to fear the clan. It was kind of a relief to see that some things, even as simple as a game, had survived the many years between.

"Alright, Broadway," Lexington's voice came loud and clear. "Garvey Park has been cleared. All the other parks have been cleared, or have a clan member there. Go ahead and go back to the castle, and I'll let you know if something happens at one of the others that you might be able to help at."

"Gotcha Lex," Broadway said. Extending his wings, he glided upward and turned in the air toward the Aerie building.

He was thinking of how to make a ball and teaching his children how to play the game when the sudden brightness of the explosion burned into his darkness adjusted eyes, causing white dots to swim through his vision.

Blinded temporarily, it took a few precious moments for his brain to process the threat. When it did, his voice raised in an angry roar, Broadway began picking up speed to protect his home and family from the sudden threat.

 **Brooklyn:**

Highbridge Park was quiet, with the exception of the officers who had been scouting out every nook and cranny of the area. It was a large area to cover, and more and more officers were coming to help. Soon, there were officers everywhere, and Brooklyn had no choice but to remain hidden.

He had started at the farthest Northern edge of the park, where the signs proclaimed it as Harlem River Park, and working his way South. He was currently sitting atop the tall tower building behind the recreation center.

He was keeping in contact with Lexington, as were the rest of the clan, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had taken root in his mind. This whole situation was a mess.

First, the halflings. They were going to be trouble, and if they were serious about trying to get Oberon's attention, it could get messy fast.

Then there was Skyler and her connection. She seemed like a good person, and he sincerely hoped that it wasn't just a facade. He liked her, and it was probably the first time he'd liked a female who might actually return the feelings.

Goliath and Elisa had opened a door to options that had been frowned upon for centuries. Knowing that his leader and mentor was supportive of such relationships helped to ease his mind.

"All clear," came a chorus of voices around the recreation building.

With a sigh, and wondering why it didn't make him feel any better, Brooklyn stood and stretched. He had been perched up here, immobile for too long.

He took to the air as soon as it was safe, when the officers were heading back to their cars and would not notice the dark figure heading upward into the night sky.

There was a shout from below that had Brooklyn heading back to the building.

"...Explosion of some kind," one officer was shouting. "They are asking for anyone whose areas have been cleared to report to the building."

Brooklyn frowned, scanning the night sky. There, just on the horizon, was a large cloud of smoke rising into the air.

Brooklyn once more took to the skies, heading in the direction that the smoke was coming from.

As he got closer, he started to recognize the buildings and where he was.

Eyes glowing a fluorescent white in his rage, Brooklyn gathered speed. Damning the need to remain hidden from human eyes, he made a straight line for the Aerie building.

 **Hudson:**

Hudson had offered to take Inwood Hill Park. It was the farthest away, and it was mostly wooded area. There were a few scattered baseball fields, but most of the area was covered by a thick layer of trees. Keeping out of sight wasn't a problem, but keeping watch on the ground below the treeline was aggravating. So many officers had answered the call to this area that Hudson was not really able to get to the ground and look for himself.

He was suddenly thankful that he had left Bronx behind at the castle. He hated to admit that the Gar-Dog was getting too heavy for Hudson to carry everywhere anymore, and tonight Bronx would have been more burden than help. He wouldn't have been able to be allowed to run loose on the ground where he would have been the most use, and Hudson would have been limited as to where he could perch to do what he could to aid the humans.

There were still officers looking around when their radios crackled to life.

"All available units," The female dispatcher's voice called out, her voice ringing out in the quiet night air. "There is a report of an explosion downtown. Corner of East 57th Street and Park Avenue."

"Shit," and officer called out below where Hudson was currently scanning from the treetops. "That's the Xanatos building."

Hudson turned his full attention to the men below.

"Are you serious?" Another officer asked, incredulity mirrored in his voice.

"Yeah," the first officer said grimly. "Let's get this area cleared, and we can head over there to help."

"That's a damn big building," the second one said. "How many people would be in there this time of night."

"Enough," the first one said, walking faster now.

Hudson had heard enough, and took to the sky. He was too far away. He couldn't even make out the Aerie Building's unique silhouette yet.

All he could do was to move as quickly as he could, and pray that his clan, his family, was safe.

 **Lexington:**

Bryant Park was located south of the Aerie Building, and while it was not a typical park, Lexington headed there. He was perched atop the New York Public Library building, and observed the officers below.

Most of the park was a large open area that people tended to gather on for their lunch hours during the day, and to socialize in at night.

The officers cleared the area in record time, and had moved on to assist the officers in other parks.

Lexington stayed where he was, however, and monitored the radio chatter to relay on to his clan mates. It had been almost two hours, and no sign of the children or the hostage situation had been found.

He listened in as one area after another was cleared, and the officers were directed to other locations.

He was thinking of packing up his electronic equipment and head back to the castle when the explosion knocked him from his feet. Being the smallest of the clan, Lexington had long ago mastered the art of tucking into a ball and rolling until he could gain his footing again.

When the initial reverberation had ceased, he sprung to his feet and scanned the area for any threats.

That was when he saw the fire and flaming sparks raining from the castle levels of his home.

With a roar of rage, his electronics forgotten in his haste, Lexington flung himself off of the Library building and took to the air.

 **Goliath:**

Washington Square Park was the last of Goliath's patrol. The others had been cleared, and he was doubtful that the hostages would be in such a wide, open area as this park. Goliath sat on the top of the arch that was as centrally located as he could get, keeping an eye on the officers the whole time.

He was ready to help protect them all, but had spotted the familiar red haired Detective Bluestone in this park. The clan had long ago brought Matt into their close knit group, and Goliath knew that his wife and partner were very close.

Elisa would be upset if something happened to Matt, and Goliath would do his best to make sure that Elisa was not upset.

He had been passively listening to the clan's voices on the communicator, but had the utmost faith that they would handle anything that would come up. They would call if aid were needed, but the channel was kept clear except for location updates.

There was a distinctive popping sound of a communicator linking up, and Elisa's voice came through.

"Goliath," she said, "Please be there."

Something in the tone of her voice had Goliath's senses going on full alert. He tapped his communicator to activate the microphone.

"Elisa," He responded to his wife's call. "What is wrong? Have you found the one responsible?"

"No," Elisa shouted. "I think it was a false report. I think it was the Halflings, and they were trying to get you all out of the castle. I am heading back there now…"

There was a loud explosive noise that seemed to shake the very air around him. He whipped around and stared in horror at the scene before him.

There were panicked shouts from the officers in the park as they began running for their cars. The sounds of sirens began piercing the night around him, but for a moment, he was held motionless in the grip of the terror that took hold.

His home. His friends. His family.

His child.

All were held in the ancient stone castle that was now under attack, and he was so far away.

His voice raised in a roar of pure fury, his eyes luminescing to a pure white, he launched himself from the top of the arch, not caring if any humans saw him.

He had lost most of his family within the walls of the castle many years ago. He was not going to lose anymore.

The halflings had orchestrated it perfectly. The fake police call about endangered children would ensure that the gargoyles would be spread all over the city, leaving the castle largely unprotected.


	12. Chapter 12

The winds were blessedly in Goliath's favor, assisting him with his flight back towards the castle. The strong seasonal winds coming from the ocean caused strong updrafts that aided in his climb back to a height that was largely unobstructed from the tall buildings around the Aerie building.

The closer that he got, the louder the sounds of battle became. There was a large hole in the side of the building from the initial blast, and even though there was still a large amount of smoke around the building, the fire seemed to have not spread.

Once Goliath was close enough, he could see a small, familiar form flying erratically around the castle.

Lexington was distracting a figure on the parapets of the wall surrounding the courtyard, dodging what looked to a laser type weapon.

Once he was close enough, Goliath roared, and began a rapid descent.

Goliath grabbed the figure who had been firing at Lexington in a top speed tackle, taking the two of them to the yard below. Goliath ripped the weapon out of the startled figures hands, launching it with such force that the weapon exploded against the base of his tower.

The figure was struggling, fighting ineffectively against Goliath's massive strength.

"I'll take care of this one," Fox shouted, running toward the pair. "Goliath, go help Puck."

Goliath lifted the struggling figure, passing it to Fox to take care of, and hurried through the familiar hallways towards the sound of the fighting.

Only feet away from the nursery, two figures were fighting with David Xanatos.

Goliath hesitated only the briefest of moments before rushing headlong between the two figures. They were small, like the figure in the courtyard. They were human in appearance, looking to be in their teens, but it didn't make them any less dangerous.

Goliath grabbed one male by the back of the neck, flinging him into the wall beside him with just enough force to render the teen unconscious before turning to the other one.

The female turned to him in surprise. "How did you.."

She didn't get the chance to finish her statement as a large length of iron chains appeared above her head and dropped down to pin her arms to her sides.

She screamed as the iron singed her skin, rendering her powerless.

"Goliath," David shouted. "The children…"

Leaving the girl to Xanatos, Goliath burst into the large playroom that only hours before had rang with children's laughter. Now, it was largely rubble, the large explosion having opened a hole in the wall that allowed Goliath to see outside clearly.

Puck, having been called forth to protect his charges, stood close to the opening and was exchanging magical power blasts with a larger male. Puck's normally jovial face and demeanor gave way to the serious and ferocious expression of someone who was prepared to fight to the death.

At the sound of the door being broken down, the male's attention wavered long enough for Puck to render the man motionless with a spell.

"About time you got here," Puck said, "They're swarming like insects." He raised a hand, a glowing green ball of energy gathering on his open palm. "Duck."

Goliath knelt just in time to avoid the blast of power that hit someone in the doorway behind him.

Goliath turned and launched himself at the figures outside the door. He felt a burning on one shoulder, but kept fighting. He had one figure in front of him, and was wrestling the gun from their grasp when a familiar roar came from the brick red gargoyle as he launched himself into the fray.

Brooklyn grabbed the figure from behind Goliath and wrapped his strong arms around the young woman. Her arms held to her side, she gave an angry snarl of her own, and began fighting the hold on her.

Elisa was right behind him, and slapped a pair of handcuffs on the young woman as she attempted to fight Brooklyn's hold.

Elisa opened a door to an empty room beside her, and roughly forced the woman inside. She slammed the door. "David is activating the steel clan to help," Elisa shouted above the fighting noise. "Where are the children?"

"I don't know," Brooklyn shouted back, rushing forward to help his leader.

Elisa hurried into the now abandoned playroom, and made a cursory look around. Not seeing the children or their caretakers anywhere, and assuming they had been taken to another area of the castle, she turned to rejoin to fight.

The sound of helicopter blades pierced the night, and all of the remaining halflings stopped fighting to make a break for the courtyard.

They were broken up once more by both Angela and Broadway. Having only just arrived themselves, they began fighting the few of the half fae teens that were within striking distance.

A few managed to make it to the rope ladders that had been lowered from the helicopter before it took off, but there were still a few that were left behind that the clan had effectively taken out of commission.

As the helicopter began its journey away from the castle, the steel clan took to the skies and chased after it.

Hudson, out of breath from his strenuous and hurried return from the farthest point of the earlier search, landed on running legs and hurried to where the clan and their allies stood.

"Wha' happened?" He asked.

"They caught us by surprise," Fox said, disgusted. "One of them was able to cloak their presence enough that none of the castle's defenses knew they were here until it was too late."

Elisa looked around at their group. "Where are the children?" Elisa asked, feeling her chest tighten in fear.

"Skyler was with them," Fox said.

"Where?" Elisa demanded.

"She was taking them to bed," Fox said. "The bedrooms are in an area that they weren't able to get to, thanks to Puck."

Elisa heaved a sigh of relief, but she wouldn't breathe easy until she saw the children safe.

"What do we do with the few halflings that are still here?" Brooklyn asked.

"We keep them here," Goliath said, grimly. "We find out what they were after, and then we hand them over to the humans to face justice."

"I have just the place," David Xanatos said grimly. "I had a few special iron cages made in case any of Oberon's people got out of control again."

"Aye," Hudson said, walking over to pick up the squirming female who had been chained in the courtyard. "I'll bring this one."

"I will bring the one from the room," Brooklyn said, heading back inside.

"We'll look around and get any others," Broadway said.

"I want to see the kids first," Angela said.

"I'll go with you," Elisa said, walking towards the bedroom wing with her stepdaughter. Even though the gargoyle children slept during the day like their family, they had a nursery room set up for naps, and a place for them to go into the stone sleep during the day and be out of sight in case of attack.

Their rooms were closest to the courtyard, so the two females stopped there first. The twins were sitting, wide eyed but silent in the corner, holding each other in fear.

"Oh," Angela said, tears springing to her eyes as she rushed across the room to her children's sides. "I am so sorry, babies," she crooned, stroking their hair. She sat on the floor, gathering the twins to her and rocking them when they began to wail.

Elisa wanted to help calm them, but still needed to go find her own child. She backed out of the room, shutting the door quietly to give the mother and children a measure of privacy.

Something was wrong.

She could clearly hear the children crying through the door. Why couldn't she hear the others? Surely they had to be terrified, so why weren't they making noise?

Elisa hurried father down the hallway, towards Alexander and Christopher Xanatos' rooms, and the room that had been set aside for Liam. Alexander was not in his room, but had taken shelter in his brother's room. He was sitting in the middle of the foldable walls of the portable play yard, entertaining Christopher by levitating colored balls in the air.

Elisa peeked inside at the pair, waved silently at Alex and closed the door once more. Fox would be along soon enough to comfort her children, but it helped Elisa to know that they were alright.

Next door was the room where an extra nursery had been decorated for nights when Liam would be at the castle.

Elisa entered quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he had actually been able to sleep through the attack.

Elisa's heart stopped as she gazed at the empty bed. Hurrying to the doorway, Elisa slapped at the lightswitch, and the bright light flooded the room.

"Liam?" Elisa called out, and began searching in earnest.

"Oh, god," Elisa said, a sinking realization hitting her.

She hurried into the hall, and back towards the playroom, shouting Goliath's name as she ran.

She practically flew through the door of the ruined playroom, and began searching. She began frantically searching through piles of rubble, looking under the small child sized table and anywhere that a small baby might be.

"Elisa?" Goliath said from the doorway, "What happened?"

"Liam," Elisa panted. She couldn't seem to catch her breath. "Liam's not in his room."

Goliath called for the rest of the clan, and began making short work of searching the room.

Elisa went to move a large chunk of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling, gasping in surprise when small fingers curled around her wrist. Elisa looked down and found a familiar gold charm bracelet.

"Skyler!"

Elisa's shout brought Brooklyn and Goliath to her side, both taking a corner of the plaster and moving it off of the woman with ease.

Elisa knelt next to the injured woman. Skyler was gasping for air, an audible wheeze coming from her with every breath. There were multiple lacerations covering her face, and her right arm was obviously broken and was lying at an odd angle.

Elisa placed a hand on the woman's forehead gently, trying to comfort her. "Get help," Elisa called over her shoulder.

"...set," Skyler managed to get out, though it obviously pained her.

"What?" Elisa asked, leaning in close.

"Cl...set." Skyler tried again. Skyler's face showed just how much pain she was in, but slowly raised her left hand and gestured to the wall opposite her.

Elisa glanced behind her, and then what Skyler had been trying to tell her hit.

"Goliath," she called out. "Goliath, the closet!"

"Heard 'em come," Skyler struggled to say, her voice soft and halting. "Tried to hide."

There was a commotion behind Elisa and she turned to see the clan digging a pile of rubble from in front of the closet door. Behind the layer of rock, was the oversized, tall backed chair that had been braced against it.

"You moved the chair," Elisa said, looking at Skyler.

"Had to hide…" He voice drifting off, Skyler's chest began to hitch as she fought not to cry.

"He is here," Goliath said, lifting his small son from inside the small closet. "He is fine."

Liam let out an angry scream to punctuate the words.

Skyler's eyes closed briefly.

"He's fine," Elisa reassured her. "The children are all fine."

David Xanatos entered the room, a grim faced Dr. James following behind, both holding the end of a large portable stretcher.

The men laid the stretcher on the ground near Skyler, and Elisa aided them as much as she could.

Elisa helped to put the immobilizing collar on the young woman, while Dr James swung his portable first responder supplies from his back. He brought out the supplies needed to splint and support Skyler's body for the trip to the lower floors and his medical facility.

Skyler was too weak to scream, but she continued to cry out with every movement.

"We can help," Broadway said softly.

"Help get her to the clinic," Dr. James said. "The elevators were knocked out in the explosion."

Broadway and a seemingly shell shocked Brooklyn took up the ends of the stretcher, and the somber group moved as quickly as they dared to take their injured friend to get cared for.

Elisa, now that the fighting was over and her family was safe, couldn't get her legs to cooperate. She remained kneeling on the floor, covered in bits of rock and dust, her hands now covered in the bright red blood of the woman who had protected her son.

She began to cry then, great wracking sobs. Partly in relief, and partly in grief.

"Elisa," Goliath said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come with me."

Elisa struggled to her feet, leaning most of her weight against Goliath as he led her from the room.

Once more, Elisa found herself walking down the halls towards Liam's room. Goliath opened the door and gently laid Liam in the sturdy wooden crib.

Liam wasn't crying any longer, and was back to his usual happy self. Young enough to be largely unaware of the destruction that had gone on around him, he was happily sucking on his fists.

Goliath and Elisa held each other, gazing down at their son. They had only been a family for a month, but already, they couldn't imagine life without Liam.

"I want to hold him," Elisa said softly, "but I need to clean up first."

"I will stay here," Goliath said, giving her a nudge to the small washroom connected to the nursery. "I will remain until you return."

Elisa nodded, and carefully, deliberately, she put one foot in front of the other until she reached the bathroom.

Elisa turned the tap, allowing the warming water to wash over her hands. The water ran pink from the blood that was running off to go down the drain. Anger hit then, a blinding fury that made her body begin to tremble. Roughly, she grabbed the bar of soap, and began scrubbing.

The blood was gone, and with it any visible signs that anything had happened, and still she scrubbed.

Suddenly, in need of releasing some of the anger, Elisa grabbed the soap once more and Elisa turned and flung it against the opposite wall. The bar broke into large pieces, and still Elisa didn't feel any better.

She grabbed the edge of the sink and tried to take some deep breaths to calm herself. There were still things to do, her son to be taken care of, and she needed to check on Skyler.

Finally, Elisa felt as if she had a good enough handle on her emotions.

She joined Goliath and Liam in the nursery.

Goliath had picked Liam back up and was cradling the small boy in his arms, humming in his deep rumbling voice as Liam lay contentedly in the crook of his father's arm.

Elisa placed a gently hand on the top of her son's head, allowing herself a moment to be at peace within the circle of her small family.

"I have to go," Elisa said, softly. "I need to go check on Skyler, and check in with work. They'll want to know about what happened here."

"What will you tell them?" Goliath asked.

"I'll tell Captain Chavez everything I know. Between the two of us, we'll think of something to tell the public."

Goliath nodded. "We will go with you to wait for word on Skyler."

"Okay," Elisa said, knowing better than to argue.

As the trio began the long walk down the hallway, they were joined by the Xanatos family as well as Broadway and Angela.

Both couples also had their children in tow. After the attack, none of them wanted to be separated again.

Walking in silence, the three families made their way down the few flights of stairs to the floor that housed Dr James and the medical facility.

In a building as large as the one that housed Xanatos Enterprises, having an entire floor dedicated to a medical practice was almost unheard of. David Xanatos had hired Dr. Bradley James as a kind of live-in medical professional for his family.

Xanatos had supplied every medical machine and gadget that any doctor could want or dream of. He had access to things that would make any Emergency Room in the city green with envy.

Of course, the official reason was that Dr. James was there to provide medical services to his employees and their families during the day. At night, he was on call for the Gargoyles and Elisa.

Dr. James even had a small apartment on the same floor as his practice, so that he was never far away.

He had even gotten engaged recently, to a young woman named Kiersten Hardy, who had been working as his assistant during the day. She had been run through the rigorous background checks and had passed with flying colors.

Her initial reaction to hearing that he was there to help with the Gargoyles had been to think he was making a joke. She had been introduced to the clan slowly, and had finally come to think of them all as friends as well.

...Which was a good thing at times like this, when someone was in need of care, and the waiting room was filled with Gargoyles.

Neither Dr. James or Kiersten had come out of the operating room yet, and the room was filled wall to wall with the Gargoyle clan.

Alex Xanatos, with a wisdom beyond his years, led his brother and the two gargoyle children to the corner where the children's toys were kept for visiting families so that the adults could have time alone.

Goliath placed a hand on Elisa's shoulder and all but forced her into a chair. He knew that she was trying to be strong, and he admired that about her, but she looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Elisa reluctantly sat down at Goliath's not so subtle urging.

After five minutes, she was on her feet. "I have to call in to the station," she said, bolting from the room.

The clan watched her go, knowing that Elisa didn't handle hospitals well.

She had spent her fair share of time in hospitals since meeting them. She had been shot, nearly drowned, had her memory almost completely erased due to amnesia, and had been on the wrong side of the bad guys often enough that she had grown to detest medical buildings.

Even if it wasn't her in need of help.

In the hallway, Elisa put her fist against her racing heart. She meant what she'd said. She had to call in to the station.

She really should go down to the station herself, but didn't feel right leaving Skyler's side.

Elisa walked over to Kiersten's desk phone and dialed Matt's number.

"Bluestone," He answered briskly.

"Matt, it's Elisa," she started.

"Are you alright?" he asked abruptly. "I heard about the explosion."

"Where are you, and can you speak freely?" Elisa asked.

"I was just in Captain's office, going over the events of the night, and trying to figure out where you were." Matt admitted. "When the Aerie exploded, you dropped your phone and took off. One of the officers near you recognized that you were from the 23rd, picked it up and brought it to the station."

"Yeah," Elisa admitted. "I couldn't remember where I had dropped it."

"Hey, the Cap and I get it," Matt said. "Are you at the Aerie now?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "The elevators were offline as soon as the explosion happened, and I was lucky enough to catch a lift up with Brooklyn."

"Is everyone okay? Was anyone hurt?"

Elisa felt a hitch in her breathing, so took an extra moment before answering. "The explosion happened in the nursery."

"Jesus," Matt breathed. "The kids?"

"The kids are fine, Matt, but Skyler..." Elisa explained, trailing off with her reluctance to voice just how bad the situation was.

"Do you need me to come up there?" Matt asked softly.

"No," Elisa said firmly. "But I need you to keep eyes and ears out. The Halflings were here, and we still don't know what they are doing."

"What is the official story?" Matt asked.

"I don't know, Matt," Elisa admitted. "Gas leak? Science experiment gone wrong? Godzilla? You pick."

"Okay," Matt said, his usual calm demeanor taking back over. It wouldn't do anyone any good having Elisa this upset. There was nothing he could do for her right this moment, but he could try to talk her down. "The Captain and I will handle it, and we'll let you know what the story will be."

"Thanks, Matt," Elisa said, sagging against the wall. "I mean it. Thank you."

"Take care of your family, Elisa," Matt said. "If you need a safe place for the night, let me know, and you can come crash at my place."

Elisa had to smile at that. Despite having a long time girlfriend, Matt was the very picture of a bachelor. "You'd put up with me and Liam?"

"Hey, I like the little guy," Matt said. "We have bonded."

"You bonded?" Elisa asked slowly.

"Well, he peed on me that first day," Matt admitted. "I think it was more that he was marking me as his property."

Elisa gave a watery laugh. "Thanks Matt, I needed that. I'll let you know about the rest," Elisa said.

"Hold on," Matt said, and there was a muffled conversation on his end of the phone. When Matt came back on the line, he sounded aggravated. "Sorry about that."

"What was that about?" Elisa asked.

Matt sighed. "Hawkins was passing by, heard me offer you a place to stay, and he was giving me grief." More muffled talking, followed by Matt's aggravated reply, "Jesus, Hawkins! She's a married lady with a new baby!"

"What is the letch saying?" Elisa asked. Gary Hawkins was old enough to be Elisa's father, but it didn't stop him from hitting on her… and every other female officer in the building.

"You don't want to know," Matt said, disgusted.

"Okay," Elisa said, trusting Matt. If he said it was something that she didn't want to know, she would trust him.

"Take care of you, and call me if anything changes."

"Will do," she said before ending the call.

"Elisa," Angela called softly from the waiting area doorway.

"Yeah," Elisa answered, straightening up from where she had been leaning against the wall. "What's up, Angela?"

"Skyler's out of surgery, and Dr James just came out to talk to us."


	13. Chapter 13

"Skyler is very lucky," Dr James said. "Her right arm is broken, and her right femur was fractured as well. She has numerous contusions and lacerations, a few cracked ribs and smoke inhalation. The main thing that I am concerned about right now is the spinal injury that she has."

"Spinal?" Elisa asked, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Dr James nodded sadly. "I'm afraid that she has some swelling around her spinal column that is putting pressure on her spinal cord. We won't know the extent of her injuries, if they are temporary or permanent, but at the moment, she's paralyzed from the waist down. We have her on a pretty aggressive schedule of antibiotics, anti inflammatories and pain medication so that she can rest. She's fighting the pain medication, however, until she can speak to some of you."

Elisa frowned. "Who?"

"You, Goliath, David and Fox," Dr James said. "She won't be awake much longer, but she said that it was important."

The four of them were a quiet, somber group as they walked into the sterile environment of the recovery suite. It was a large, spacious room, painted a serene shade of blue.

It was also one of the few rooms this high up in the building that had been remodeled. The outer wall was recessed to have a small balcony attached to it.

Elisa had spent some time in this room, and the balcony had been added to allow for the clan to visit without having to travel through the building in case there were still people around who had no knowledge of the clan. She knew that it took about ten steps to get from one side of the room to the other. That the tiles of the bathroom floor were heated, and there were even towel warmers for patients when they took showers.

Elisa sighed. It was easier to think about those things, than to focus on the small figure in the bed. Skyler was going to have a long road to recovery, and had been injured trying to protect the children left in her charge.

The clan, the Xanatos' and she owed her a great debt.

Elisa was the first to approach the bed, and gently touched the young woman's arm.

"Skyler," she said quietly. "We're here."

Skyler managed to pry one eye open, the other was swollen shut. "Elisa. I'm sorry," she slurred through the pain medication.

"Don't be," David said, approaching the bed, his arm slung around his wife's shoulders.

"You saved our children," Fox added.

"Still coming," Skyler said. "They want the children."

"What?" Elisa asked, disbelieving.

"Oberon's attention," Skyler said, sighing tiredly. Her eyes closed slowly. "Titania's attention."

"My mother?" Fox asked, incredulous. "Why do they want to get her attention?"

"Avalon," Skyler said on a sigh as the medication finally robbed her of consciousness.

"The halflings are trying to get Oberon's attention," Goliath pieced together. "The easiest way to get to Oberon, is to get Titania's attention first."

"By kidnapping her grandchildren," Elisa added.

"God," Fox said, wiping her hand across her face tiredly.

"It makes sense," David said. "But why go to such lengths?"

"Avalon," Elisa said.

"Oberon called his children home during the gathering years ago." Goliath said.

"But what about his "children's" children?" Elisa pointed out.

"How would they even know?" Fox asked. "I didn't even know who or what my mother was until Oberon forced her hand."

"Unless one of them were told," Elisa said.

"And then gathered as many others as they could," David surmised.

"Exactly," Elisa said grimly. "Let's move this conversation outside. I think everyone should be in on this one."

Together, the group moved outside to the waiting area, Goliath closed the door quietly behind him.

"Okay," Elisa said briskly. "First things first. Is everyone safe here?"

"We are now," David said grimly. "We didn't understand what we were up against and what their plans were. We were blindsided, but it will not happen again."

"Security measures are in place," Fox said. "Many of which were updated to keep fae out, in case my mother and Oberon got out of hand again."

"What about Puck?" Elisa asked.

"He's taking care of the damage to the castle." David said.

"Really?" Elisa asked, one eyebrow raised.

"He didn't like it," Fox said, "But he was placed in charge of the welfare of Alex and Christopher. That means making sure that the shelter is intact and the Gargoyles are unharmed."

"What?" Goliath asked, confused.

"Why the surprise?" David asked with a small smile. "You are essentially part of the family's protection, thus we all fall under Puck's protection if things get too out of hand."

"Nice to know," Elisa grumbled. "Speaking of Puck, please tell me that he has a way to contact Titania."

"Honestly," Fox shrugged. "I don't know. We've never been in a rush to contact her. She's always just shown up when the mood strikes her."

"Great," Elisa sighed.

"Let's go up and ask Puck about it." David suggested.

"Yes," Goliath said.

Now that the attack was over and the full power had been restored, the elevators were once again up and running. It was a large, silent group that rode to the upper floors in search of the white haired trickster.

Puck was putting the last brick in the wall of the nursery.

"Puck," David greeted, leading the motley group of humans and gargoyles. "We have a question for you."

Puck heaved an exaggerated sigh. "A trickster's work is never done." When the last stone was put into place and sealed with a magically appearing mortar, he turned and floated towards the castle's inhabitants. "What may I assist with?"

"I need you to contact mother," Fox said.

"That's… not as easy as it sounds," Puck drawled out slowly.

"Cut the crap," Elisa said, losing patience. "Can you do it or not?"

"Tut, tut," Puck said, wagging a finger in Elisa's face. "Is that any way to ask for a favor?"

"Maybe this'll help," Elisa's hand reached out and took hold of his hand before he could withdraw it. With a firm twist, she took the fae man to the ground and loomed over him. "Stop screwing around and giving half answers." She squeezed a little harder. "Yes or no. Can you contact Titania."

"I can try," Puck said, gasping.

"Thanks," Elisa said, letting go of the pressure point.

"Anytime," Puck said, waving his sore hand in the air.

Elisa turned and found the rest of the group in the door looking at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted two heads. "What?"

"That was fast," Broadway said.

"And effective," David said smoothly.

"It got the job done," Elisa said.

"I am restricted on how much I can do with my magic," Puck said. He deepened his voice and mimicked Oberon. "We hereby strip you of all your powers, save for when you are training or protecting the boy." Puck huffed out a breath.

"So teach Alex how to call grandma," Elisa suggested sarcastically.

"That…" Puck paused, looking at her, impressed. "That might work."

"I can't believe you never thought of that before," David said. "That seems like your kind of loophole to exploit."

"Hey," Puck looked hurt. "I don't exploit."

"Take advantage of, then," Fox said.

"Fine," Puck said. He looked through the group, and spotted the young boy he was seeking. "Come Alexander, and we'll have a lesson on using mirrors to contact someone."

Alexander had been hanging out in the rear of the crowd. He had been having magic lessons with Puck from his earliest memories. He excelled at the levitation of objects, but was still learning. He had never done what Puck was asking of him, and even if he didn't understand everything that was going on around him, he knew that it was important.

Quietly, he made his way to the front of the group, and took his teacher's hand.

"Now," Puck said, "The first thing that you need is something reflective. A mirror for this kind of thing is best, so that you can see the other person and they can see you."

Alex nodded his understanding.

"Now you place your palm against the glass."

Alex did so, never taking his gaze from his teacher.

"Good," Puck nodded his encouragement. "Now, I want you to think of your grandmother, and repeat after me.

"Mirror to see, Mirror to know,

Mirror to help the power to flow,

Mirror absorb, reflect my gaze,

Show me the truth within your glaze.

Show me the future, show me the past,

All that is hidden, revealed at last.

Mirror, Mirror, display for me

My Queen Titania whom I desire to see!"

Alex did as instructed, repeating the lines carefully and as clearly as he was able. Under his hand, the mirror's surface began to ripple, as if someone had thrown a pebble into a very still pool of water. As the ripples slowed, he was able to make out shapes, sounds, and finally someone moving around.

"Who is there?" a woman's voice demanded. "And why do you bother me?"

"I am sorry, my queen," Puck said, "It is Alex's first time using this method of communication."

Puck slowly reached out, settling his hand on the surface just above Alex's smaller one. Almost instantly, the surface smoothed and cleared to show Titania, Queen of the Fae.

"Grandma!" Alex said, happily.

"Oh, my little prince," Titania said, placing one of her own hands against the mirrored surface on her side. "You are doing so well in your training!"

"Thanks!" Alex said, his chest puffing up in pride.

"Mom," Fox said, approaching the mirror behind her son so that she could be seen. "Sorry this isn't an entirely social call."

Titania frowned. "What is wrong?"

"We were attacked tonight," David said, joining his family. "We are alright, but the people who attacked them were after the children."

Titania frowned. "That is why we left Puck there. To help protect and guide my grandchildren."

"I tried my best, my queen," Puck said, almost audibly gritting his teeth. "However, the spell that Lord Oberon put on me doesn't give me much time to do anything before it really happens. If I don't know a threat is coming.." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders in a "what can you do" kind of motion.

"Hmmm," Titania said thoughtfully. "That is true."

"We are prepared now, in case they come back again," David said grimly.

"I still do not understand why you felt the need to contact me." Titania said, irritation showing on her face. "You have been attacked before, and clearly no harm came to the children."

"No," Fox snapped. "Our children were saved by a friend who was hurt in the process. Puck and the rest of us had our hands full fighting them off."

"I am sorry about your friend…" Titania began in that 'sorry, but not sorry' tone of voice.

"Actually," David cut her off in that smooth, fast talking businessman kind of way, "You're going to want to know who was hurt, and who was attacking."

"And why is that?" Titania asked wearily.

"The woman who was hurt is one of your own," David said. "We believe that she has a mixed heritage of human and fae."

"You don't say," Titania asked, sounding almost bored. "And what makes you think that?"

"Oh, little things," Fox said, trying her best to match her mother's blase attitude. "Her name, the fact that her mother disappeared around the time you had your 'children' rounded up back on Avalon, and she has been getting a mental signal that pulled her to Manhattan where a whole group of half fae are having a grand time."

Titania finally showed a reaction in a slight frown.

"There are about a dozen of them," Elisa said, stepping into view, "But there may be more."

"They have abilities," Fox told her mother. "They were able to mask their presence so that they could slip in under our radar and catch us unprepared."

"We don't know how long they were in the castle before an alarm was raised." David said.

Titania gave a thoughtful hum. "A dozen, you say?"

Elisa nodded. "At least a dozen. All around Fox's age or younger."

"Skyler, the young woman who was caring for the children tonight, Was injured when they blew out a wall in the nursery," Fox said, hoping to appeal to her mother's maternal instincts… or at least her grandmotherly ones. If she had any. "She had to undergo emergency surgery."

"That is sad," Titania said, "but what would you like me to do?"

"I overheard a few of them talking," Elisa said. "They are doing this to get yours and Oberon's attention for some reason."

"I think one of your kids called one of their own kids," Fox said. "There is some kind of halfling uprising happening here, and my kids are caught in the crossfire. Someone let it slip about my connection to you, so they're after us."

That took Titania aback. "That's not possible, Fox. No one here outside of Oberon and I have the ability to contact anyone outside of Avalon."

"Then help us understand," David said. "How would these people know what they are? How do we protect our home? Our family?"

"I will try to find out who would dare to disobey our Lord Oberon, and I will try to convince him to let me come visit. Perhaps together we can figure this all out." Titania said. "But really, there is very little to be done. I can not interfere with the matters of humans."

Elisa opened her mouth to reply to that, but snapped it shut at a look from Xanatos.

"We would appreciate your help," David said. "And your grandsons would enjoy a visit from you as well."

That got through to Titania, and she preened a little. "I will do my best, and I will contact you with the final answer soon."

"Thank you, mother," Fox said.

With a wave of her hand, Titania blanked out the mirror, so that the surface once more only reflected what and who was in the room.

"Is grandma coming to visit?" Alex asked.

"I hope so," Fox said, lifting her son easily into her arms.

"Yay!" Alex threw his arms around his mother's neck.

Fox closed her eyes, and held her son tightly.

"Mom," Alex giggled. "Too tight!"

Fox let her son slide from her grasp.

"I will take the children to the playroom," the familiar sound of Owen's voice came from behind. Now that the Puck was no longer needed, his magic receded, leaving him only his guise as the monotoned personal assistant of David Xanatos. "I have added a few extra magical safeguards so that we will have proper warning should they try to attack again tonight."

"They'd be damn stupid to try again tonight," Fox said, handing her eldest son over to the majordomo.

Owen took Alex's hand in his, reaching out for young Christopher.

"I can take Liam," Angela said quietly, holding her hands up to her father to receive the sleeping baby.

Elisa wasn't feeling that great about the whole, 'let's return to the scene of the attack' plan for the children. "You'll stay with them?" she asked Angela.

Angela nodded. "I won't leave them until I have to."

Elisa shared a look with Goliath before he handed the baby over to the gargoyle female.

Angela took Liam and her own twins back to the playroom.

"What now?" Fox asked, for the first time in Elisa's memory looking lost.

"We wait," David said softly.


	14. Chapter 14

A few hours later, having no word from Titania, the clan found places to sleep inside the castle for the day.

Cleanup was going to be hell for the cleaning crews, Elisa thought. When the clan broke free of their stone skin after the sun set, they literally burst free. Stone pieces and dust was going to be everywhere.

Elisa had clogged two vacuum cleaners that way and had learned her lesson.

The humans decided to go their own way for a while.

Owen was strictly in charge of the children for a few hours. Beds, cots and cribs had been moved into the large playroom, so that one person could keep track of them all at once.

Fox and David had rounded up the three halflings that had been left behind in the fight, and took them down to the specially designed iron cages in the 'dungeon'. In all actuality, it really had been the dungeon when the castle had stood on it's native land of Scotland.

Elisa went to check on Skyler.

Skyler was asleep, lying pale and still on the hospital bed. An IV in her arm was supplying her with fluids and medication. Her face was more bruised than Elisa remembered, the brilliant blues and purples standing out starkly against her pale skin.

Elisa quietly drew a chair closer, and held the young woman's hand in hers. She couldn't imagine having no family, and didn't want Skyler to wake up alone.

Elisa laid her head back, against the tall back of the chair.

A weak squeezing sensation on her hand brought her wide awake instantly.

"Skyler?" Elisa asked, quietly.

The young woman opened her good eye and gazed at Elisa. She moved her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out.

"Do you need a drink?" Elisa asked.

"Yeah," Skyler managed to get out.

Elisa got to her feet and poured Skyler a glass of ice water from the ever present pink hospital issue pitcher. Unwrapping a straw, Elisa bent the neck so that Skyler wouldn't have to sit up and drink.

Elisa braced her hand behind Skyler's neck, and helped her sit up enough to get a drink.

"Thank you," Skyler said when she had taken her fill.

"No problem," Elisa said, helping her to lay down again. "Can I get you anything else?"

"I'm fine," Skyler said.

"You're not fine," Elisa said, a wave of sadness overcoming her. "You got pretty banged up."

"Yeah," Skyler said. "They were pretty insistent."

Elisa frowned. "'They'? Who are 'they'?"

Skyler frowned. "I was putting the kids down for naps," She recalled. "The only one left in the playroom was Liam, because he was so content in the playpen. I watched the twins go to their room, and Alexander showed me where Christopher's room was."

"You don't have to talk if it hurts," Elisa said, noticing the young woman's discomfort.

"No," Skyler said. "I need to tell you."

"Okay," Elisa said gently, taking her seat once more. "Go ahead."

"I had gotten back to the nursery, I had picked Liam up when I heard the helicopter. Mr Xanatos had told me that the air space around the Aerie was a protected air space, so it seemed odd. Something felt wrong. I grabbed a blanket and wrapped Liam up in it. I put him in the closet where he would hopefully be safe, and propped the chair in front of the door."

"You saved his life," Elisa said, giving the woman's hand a squeeze. "Thank you."

"They were after Alex," Skyler announced. "They said so."

Elisa sat upright, her attention fully focused on Skyler. "You said something similar last night. What makes you say that?"

"They tried to question me about where the kids were," Skyler said, her free hand plucking at the hospital blankets covering her legs. "When I didn't tell them, they…"

"What did they do, Skyler?" Elisa encouraged, gently.

"The oldest one, he hit me a couple of times," Skyler said, her eyes suddenly burning with a fierce protectiveness as her gaze met Elisa's. "I still wouldn't tell them. The oldest one lost control of some kind of energy, and he blew out the wall of the nursery. I don't really remember much after that until I was on my way down the stairs on the stretcher."

"You are an amazing lady," Elisa said. "The children are all safe, and the building security has been upped since the attack until further notice. We're all safe here. Your job now is to get healed up. I am sure these kids are going to run you ragged as soon as you are able to get out and around."

"Dr. James told you, right?" Skyler asked, sadly. "About my legs?"

"I know he said that it was a wait and see kind of thing," Elisa admitted. "We will know more when the swelling goes down."

"Yeah," Skyler said softly.

"Hey," Elisa said softly, but firmly. "We're going to make sure that you have the best medical care available, and when you're ready, you can come back to work. That is, if you still want to stick around after all of this."

Skyler raised her face to Elisa. "Are you serious? Even if I can't walk?"

"I am serious," Elisa insisted. "You're an amazing woman who was willing to give her life to save my son. There's no one else I would want to look after Liam."

A single tear made its way down Skyler's bruised, swollen cheek. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Hey," Elisa said, giving Skyler's hand a gentle squeeze. "None of that. Actually," Elisa mused, only half joking, "I think there may be an employment bidding war between Xanatos and I now. I think they're really regretting not hiring you first."

"I'd rather stay with you," Skyler admitted. "Too much excitement here."

"To be honest, Skyler," Elisa admitted in all seriousness, "things are never truly quiet in my life. Things aren't always as dangerous as this was, but it's not going to be an entirely peaceful place to be."

"A little excitement, I am fine with," Skyler said. "As long as this isn't an everyday thing."

"Gods, no," Elisa said.

"Okay then."

"Okay," Elisa said with a smile. "I'll get with Dr. James and see what all we need at our place to make you comfortable until you're able to get around again."

"Thanks, Elisa."

"No," Elisa said, smiling at Skyler. "Thank you. For everything." She got to her feet. "Now, I want you to get some more rest, and I'll go see if I can catch up with the doctor."

Skyler sighed, leaned back against the pillow, and just that quickly was back to sleep.

Elisa sank back into the chair, sitting with her for a little while longer.

Twenty minutes later, Elisa got to her feet.

There were things to take care of, and she'd better get started. She had to talk to the doctor, make arrangements for any special accommodations to her condo for Skyler's after care. There was a small office on the ground floor of her condo that she could make into a temporary bedroom so that the stairs wouldn't be an issue.

Then she had to deal with the 'normal' side of her life. She had to contact work, talk with the Chief, and figure out what to do about the time that she had missed.

She walked towards Dr. James' office. The door was slightly ajar, and she found the young doctor working quietly at his desk. Elisa knocked lightly on the door to get his attention.

He looked up from the papers he had been filling out. "Oh, Elisa," He said tiredly. Gently, he removed the reading glasses from their perch on his nose and placed them on top of the papers that he had been looking at.

"Hey doc," Elisa greeted. "Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me."

"Sure," He frowned, leaning back in his chair. Ever the physician, he gave her a quick once over. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm fine. For once, it's not about me," Elisa said, taking a seat across the desk from him. "I wanted to talk to you about Skyler."

"I thought so," Dr. James said. He crossed his arms on top of his desk, "What do you need to know?"

"Something she said bothers me," Elisa admitted. "Her injuries… I thought is was the explosion that had caused that amount of damage, but she said that one of the guys who attacked hit her…" Elisa drifted off, for once, not knowing how to ask what she wanted to know.

"Normally I wouldn't be able to discuss a patient with you," the doctor said, slowly. "However, Skyler gave verbal authorization last night, and signed a form a short while ago to make it official that you are her emergency contact. She also signed the form that designates you her medical power of attorney, so that you can make the medical decisions should Skyler be unable to."

Elisa blinked at the doctor in shock. "Oh, wow. Okay."

"She didn't tell you," Dr James looked chagrined. "I am sorry to have sprung that on you."

"No, it's fine. It's just...," Elisa blew her hair out of her face. "It caught me by surprise, that's all."

"Well," Dr James said, back to business, "In answer to your questions, after she was stable, we gave her a thorough examination and it is my belief that most of her injuries are a result from a physical attack. The only injury that I can actually say with any certainty was a result of the explosion is her broken leg. Skyler confirmed that she was struck by a large chunk of debris, and that is what broke it."

Elisa closed her eyes and hung her head. "Damn it," She muttered.

"I know that was not what you wanted to hear."

"Doc," Elisa raised her angry gaze to the white-coated doctor. "None of this is an ideal situation. I have to focus on what comes next, or I tend to stew and obsess over things in the present that I can't do anything about."

The doctor nodded his understanding.

"Okay," Elisa said, trying to shake herself out of her current mood. "I am planning on taking her home with me. I have a small office on the ground floor of my condo, and I can set that up as a temporary bedroom. What kind of things can you recommend for me to invest in to make sure that she has what she needs to rest and recover?"

"She will need someone with her quite a bit in the beginning," He admitted. "You may need to see about hiring a nurse during the times that you will not be there."

"Alright," Elisa nodded, having no earthly idea of how to manage that. She had gotten lucky with Skyler… but finding another person to work in her home that was not only familiar with Gargoyles, but tolerant of Elisa's relationship with one of them?

She wasn't sure she was that lucky.

"Hire a Nurse. Got it," Elisa said. "What next?"

"She'll need a wheelchair for now, and an adjustable hospital bed wouldn't hurt, either."

"Maybe I should be writing this down," Elisa admitted.

Dr. James smiled, and handed her a large yellow legal pad and a pen.

Elisa hurriedly scribbled down the suggestions, and sat, pen poised to continue taking notes.

"Mr. Xanatos has already expressed their wish to pay for her therapy," Dr James said. "He contacted a rehabilitation company here in Manhattan as soon as they opened for the day, and they will be sending someone here to speak with me sometime early tomorrow morning so that we can compare notes and make a treatment plan."

Elisa was surprised. "Whoa. That was quick."

"The Xanatos family feel that they owe her for all that she has gone through to protect their children, and this is how they wish to begin."

"I'm not going to argue," Elisa said, "And honestly, it shouldn't surprise me that they're already arranging something."

"The therapist that they are sending should be here around one o'clock," Dr. James said. "So between then and now, I have cleared my schedule, so that I will be available should Skyler need anything."

"Thank you," Elisa said, getting to her feet. "Do you mind if I.."

"Come by and meet the physical therapist?" Dr. James interrupted with a knowing smile. "Of course."

"Thanks," Elisa said again.

"Go get some sleep, detective," Dr. James suggested. "You won't be any help to anyone if you are sleep deprived."

"Doc," Elisa said, tiredly. "That is one suggestion I will gladly follow."


	15. Chapter 15

Elisa left the medical floor feeling only slightly better. There was still a whole laundry list of things to do, but she was going to see it through. She would start calling around to medical equipment rental places, and get a hold of the wheelchair and the electrically adjustable bed.

Then she would need to clear out that office.

Elisa wanted to coordinate her efforts with the Xanatos', however. They were already contacting therapy companies, for goodness sakes. She wanted to make sure they didn't already have something else in the works.

She found the family in the small, informal dining room near the kitchens. just sitting down to eat. Xanatos at the head of the table, of course. Fox was to his right and Owen was next to her. Alexander was seated on his father's left.

Both Fox and Owen held a small child a piece. Owen held a squirming Christopher, while Fox was cradling Liam, giving him a bottle.

"Detective," Xanatos called out. "We were hoping that you would join us for something to eat?"

Elisa frowned and checked her watch. It was with no small amount of surprise that Elisa realized it was only 11 o'clock in the morning. The last twenty four hours had stretched out to the point that Elisa had lost all track of time.

"Please," Fox gestured to the seat opposite of Owen. "Have a seat. Do you like mexican food?"

"Sure," Elisa said. "Anything spicy right now would be awesome."

"Agreed," Fox said. "We felt the need for something to help us wake up."

Elisa pulled out the offered chair, and sat down at the table. While it was not as long as the formal table in the great hall that could easily hold eighty people, this one looked as if it could only hold about ten or so.

"We called one of our favorite chefs in," Fox said, lightly, as if everyone else in the world did the same thing. "She's the chef at the Triple Shot Mexican Restaurant down on the ground floor."

Elisa shook her head. "I noticed how you're making a few of the lower floors into your own mini mall."

"It is more practical than you think," David said. "My employees never have to leave early to get their shopping done, and they can order meals at any time and have it delivered right to their desks."

"Less time out of the office, and more time to work," Elisa said.

"And more time for my employees during their after work and home lives." David returned.

Elisa had to think about that. How handy would it be to not have to leave the station in order to get a decent meal, and not rely on fast food. If there were small shops, she wouldn't have to stop at any stores on her way home.

"Okay," Elisa conceded. "I can see how handy that would be."

"I'm glad that you can see the reasoning behind it," David said with a smile.

A knock at the door causing everyone to turn and gaze at the cheerful woman in the doorway. She looked to be slightly shorter that Elisa's own 5'5", with straight, dark hair. She was smiling at the group, turned to say something in spanish over her shoulder, and swept into the room carrying a large covered tray. With a flourish, she placed her tray on the table and lifted the lid to reveal a large platter of homemade enchiladas.

Two men followed her in, both carrying similar trays. When the lids lifted, Elisa was met with the warm, delicious smells from her childhood. Elisa closed her eyes, inhaling the scents of the spices, peppers and meats.

It smelled amazing, and reminded Elisa of the times when her father would cook at home, the heavy Native American and Spanish influences had been passed down in his family.

"You look happy," The chef said. "That is what I like to see in people about to eat my food."

Elisa opened her eyes and met the friendly gaze of the smiling woman.

"If that tastes as good as it smells," Elisa admitted, "I may have to come eat here regularly."

"There's always an open table. Especially for friends of the Xanatos'," The chef placed her hand on Elisa's shoulder. "We're here every day, and if it's after hours, the Xanatos' can always get a hold of me. My name is Penny," she held her hand out in greeting. "And I am the owner and head chef of the Triple Shot."

"Elisa Maza," Elisa introduced herself. "I'm a detective with the NYPD."

"It is very nice to meet you, Miss Maza." Penny said with a smile. Turning, she motioned to the two young men behind her.

Penny's assistants placed their trays on the table, revealing large, black cast iron pans full of sizzling meats and peppers for fajitas. Bowls of spanish rice, beans, freshly made tortilla chips and salsa accompanied the meal. Homemade tortillas were held in crockery containers, covered with towels, and were still warm enough to send up a cloud of steam as they were uncovered.

Finally, the last tray was uncovered, exposing a large bowl of lightly browned sopapillas with a light dusting of powdered sugar on their tops. Beside the bowl was a plastic bear dispenser filled with golden honey.

"If I weren't already a married woman," Elisa said, taking in the amazing meal in front of her, "I think I would propose to you right now."

Penny laughed, and swatted Elisa on the shoulder with a towel. "That's what they all say," she said, cheekily. "Just eat, enjoy and come back later!"

"I will, thank you," Elisa said.

After the Triple Shot crew had left, and the Xanatos family had already filled their plates, Elisa helped herself to a plate with a little of everything. She hadn't had anything to eat the night before, and hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she was facing a table full of steaming food that she didn't have to make herself.

She took a fork full of enchilada, smothered in the red sauce and cheese, and took a healthy bite. After that, she was careful to eat slowly, because what she really wanted to do was to spoon it in as fast as she could. It was so amazingly good.

Once her plate was empty, and the others had finished as well, Elisa was eyeballing the food still left on the table.

"It looks like you have found out why we rent the space to Three Shots," Fox said with a knowing smile. "Don't worry, Penny will be back in a bit to see if we need anything else, then she'll box up the leftovers for you to take home."

Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Normally, we save the leftovers to rewarm for the clan," David said. "I am sure that all of the restaurants in the Aerie Building think we are hopeless gluttons, as we always order too much for just that reason."

"So," Elisa began slowly, "Does she know about…"

"The Gargoyles?" Fox finished for her. "She knows of them. She was working in a restaurant over off of 135th, when her establishment was robbed one night. One of her busboys tried to take the thief down himself, and Penny was close behind. One of the clan, Hudson from the sound of it, swooped in to the rescue."

"So, how did you find her?" Elisa asked.

"Oh, she came to us," David said. "After the St. Damien's Chapel mess, and it was made obvious that Xanatos Enterprises were pro-gargoyle, she came to us asking if we needed her services. She wanted to support the gargoyles anyway she could, even if it meant working for someone who was also a supporter of the clan."

"She doesn't actually know them, though," Fox said. "Penny has never asked to meet them, and has never mentioned it past that first day. We checked her story, and not only is there a police record of the robbery, but both the offender and the busboy corroborated it. We offered her a small restaurant space on the third floor, but her cooking was so good, we gave her a rent cut on one of the larger spaces on the ground floor, so that she could get more business."

Elisa nodded. "And you have 24 hour access to her cooking."

"Well, there is that," David said with a smirk.

"Hey," Elisa held her hands in the air, a show of peace. "You get no argument from me. With cooking like that, I completely understand."

"Do you need to go back into work?" Fox asked.

"Not until tonight," Elisa said.

"Then why don't you stay here for the day?" Fox suggested. "There is a separate bedroom right next to Liam's room, connected by a door so that you could hear if he wakes up."

"That sounds amazing," Elisa admitted. It was after noon by then, and she did not relish the thought of the drive home before getting any rest.

"Good," David said with the sound of finality ringing in his voice. "Go rest, detective. It will be evening again before you know it."

Elisa nodded, getting to her feet.

Liam, full from his bottle and in his innocence, content with the world around him, was so sleepy, that he didn't fuss at all when he was transferred from Fox to his mother's arms.

Elisa carried her sleepy son into his temporary bedroom and laid him in his crib. She covered him with a blanket and turned to go through the connecting door into the neighboring bedroom.

Elisa took the slightest moment to appreciate the clean colors of the pastel blues and greens that dominated the color scheme of the room.

Then she all but fell onto the bed, pulling the comforter up and over herself, wanting nothing more than to pass into the blissful unconsciousness of sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Elisa laid on the oversized, plush bed and stared at the ceiling. She was exhausted, but her brain refused to shut down.

This happened more often than she would admit to, especially when she was working on a case where the pieces weren't matching up right. Sometimes her mind wouldn't let go of something until she had thought it through.

This wasn't a case keeping her awake this time, however.

It was a part of her lineage, at some point that she wasn't even sure about.

She was part fae.

How much of that particular blip in her family's timeline affected her? She had uncommonly good "hunches" on the job, that everyone had passed off as good cop instincts.

Her reaction times and speed in fighting, again, had been chalked up to the extensive training that she'd had in various forms of hand to hand. Tae Kwon Do, Karate, many self defense classes and all other trainable forms that she could get into growing up.

How much of that was actually her… and how much was due to some kind of supernatural DNA?

With a sigh, Elisa flung her arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the sunlight and get some sleep.

Garrett huddled in a stairwell, waiting for his phone to ring and let him know what to do next. He would have lost track of time long ago, locked in the huge, windowless stairwell, if not for his watch.

It was nearing five o'clock. It was wintertime, and the sun would set early. If they didn't hurry, it was going to be night again, and they would have to put up with those damn Gargoyles.

When their first attack started going south, the eldest and most powerful of the halflings, Blake, had ordered him to camp out in one of the emergency stairwells. He was to wait for instructions, and let the rest of them in when the signal was given.

He had to work hard to keep himself hidden. After the attack, Xanatos had ordered hourly rounds by his security detail. Garrett was good at shielding his presence, but he was getting tired from using it so often.

It's not like he grew up practicing magic. He grew up with an alcoholic human stepfather and a whole house full of younger siblings. His mother had him with some random guy who had ran out on her, leaving her pregnant. After that, she had married Craig, and had a whole litter of kids.

As far as he knew, he was the only one to carry any kind of abilities, which led him to the conclusion that his father had been Fae.

He had met Blake two years ago. Evidently Oberon, the king of the Fae, had taken all of "his children" home to a magical place called Avalon. All of Oberon's children who had children of their own had simply given everything up and left.

Leaving all of the half-human children alone.

Blake had worked with Garrett and any other halflings that he found, honing their skills. Some of the halfling kids had stronger abilities than others, but their abilities were all there, somewhere.

"Hey kid," a gruff voice came from behind Garrett. "You can't be here."

Garrett got to his feet slowly. "I am so sorry sir."

"Yeah, well, you're going to need to come with me," The security officer said.

"Okay," Garrett said, trying to look as innocent and unassuming as possible.

Garrett heard his phone began to ring in his pocket, and smiled. That was what he had been waiting for.

Garrett whipped around, grabbing the security guard's right arm. Garrett flipped the startled guard over his shoulder, listening to the man's scream as he flew through the air. The guard landed roughly half way down the steel and concrete stairs, and rolled down the rest to land in an unconscious heap on the next landing.

Reaching into his pocket, Garrett brought out the phone. "Blake?"

"It's time. We will meet you back at the castle." Blake barked out.

"Yes, sir," Garrett said. He walked down the stairs and snatched the security guard's ID badge that would give him access to the whole building. "I'll be right there."

With a swipe of the stolen badge later, Garrett found himself on the lower level of the castle. He made his way through the maze-like corridors until he found the room with the iron cages holding the few of the halflings who hadn't been able to escape.

"Garrett!" a hushed voice called out.

Garrett looked over to see a petite hand waving at him between some iron bars. There were three cages, with bars completely surrounding the young halflings inside, all four sides, ceiling and floor.

Lucien, Tim and Nicole had been captured in the fight the night before. It was Nicole who had beckoned him over, and he watched as she carefully slipped her arm back between the bars without touching them.

Garrett walked towards the cages and glanced at those enclosed in the iron barred enclosures. The original plan that Blake had made was that if their attack was to fail, that a pre-selected few would allow themselves to be caught, and Garrett would release them in time to attack from the inside for the second wave.

Lucien and Nicole had been pre-selected.

Tim, however, was a mistake. One of the least powerful of the halflings, he had probably been legitimately caught and imprisoned.

"The keys," Garrett demanded.

"Over there," Lucien pointed to a small gray lock box on the wall. "It's a big, old fashioned clunky key."

Garrett opened the box, and reached out to take the key. Smoke rose from his hand instantly, as the smell of burning flesh met his nostrils a mere fraction of a second before the pain hit.

"Damn it," he swore, dropping the key with a heavy thunk on the floor.

Iron. Even the damn key was iron.

With a growl, Garrett removed his jacket, wrapping the material around his hand before attempting to pick the key up again.

"Let's go," He practically growled. "It's time."

Together, the four halflings crept up the levels, one by one.

Finally, they reached the main floor that has the secure elevator access. One more, Garrett swiped the key card, allowing the elevator to come all the way to the top.

Within moments, the doors opened, revealing the imposing halflings leader and most of the others.

"I sent a few to the medical floor to find that damn nanny," Blake said coldly. "We may need her help finding those children."

Garrett nodded his understanding.

"Let's spread out," Blake ordered. "It is time to finish this. Garrett, you take two others, get outside and break those damn Gargoyles as they sleep. Sundown is coming, so hurry."

The halflings did as commanded.

It was time to claim their birthright and their places on Avalon.

Garrett used his cloaking ability and led his team unseen to the courtyard. What met them was a bare courtyard.

The gargoyles weren't there.

"Damn," he swore darkly. This was a complication. He looked out to the rapidly descending sun.

They were out of time.

"Spread out," he barked. "We can't get the Gargoyles, but we can go ahead with the plan. Find those children and let's be done with this."

Dropping the invisibility spell, he and the others ran into the castle.

Their time was running short. They must complete their goal before the Monsters awoke and spoiled everything.


	17. Chapter 17

Luna, Phoebe and Selene appear in the hospital room. Phoebe approaches the bed, showing the first human emotion by stroking her daughter's hair back from her forehead.

Phoebe spoke softly, "My Daughter, your victory was hard won "

Selene added her voice, "But now your true battle has only begun"

Luna continued the chant, "This injured human form we now heal"

Together, almost in one voice, "And, together, your fate we will now reveal"

The bed is surrounded by a soft green, magical light. Every wound healed, her heart beat in a steady rhythm and Skyler began to levitate. Slowly, she rotated in midair and was gently lowered to stand on her feet. Her hospital gown was replaced with a flowing white medieval style gown with a long belt riding low on her hips, similar to the ones that her mother and her aunts wore.

Skyler's eyes popped open to briefly reveal a glowing green that was indicative of her fae heritage. Slowly, the glow faded, revealing her natural, human eye color.

Confused, her gaze roamed the room before settling on the woman she now knew as her mother.

"Mom?" she asked.

"Yes, my daughter," Phoebe said, holding her arms out to her child.

Skyler launched herself into the waiting embrace that she had missed so dearly the last few years. She grabbed a hold of the familiar woman, smelling the familiar scent, and began to quietly sob.

"We don't have time for this," Selene said angrily.

"The whelps are coming," Luna said.

"Yes," Phoebe said, stepping away from the embrace. She reached out to gently wipe her daughter's tears away. "I am sorry, Skyler, but there is still work to do this night."

"What?" Skyler asked, puzzled. "What is happening?"

"The halfling children," Luna said. "They have declared war on Avalon."

"Oberon has decreed that he will not interfere in human business," Phoebe said.

"But what about Titania?" Skyler asked, somewhat desperately. "Surely she can help."

"Yes, sister," Came a snarky voice from the doorway. "Please, tell us about our queen mother."

"Puck," Selene practically snarled, turning to the white haired fae lounging against the doorframe.

"The one and only," he gave a mocking bow.

"We do not have the time for your antics," Luna said.

"Nor the patience," Phoebe added.

"Oh, come now," Puck said, hovering in the air. "We haven't seen each other in so long, let's not have a family squabble in front of my newly discovered niece."

"Niece?" Skyler asked.

Puck swooped in front of her, took her hand and kissed her knuckles in a very courtly gesture. "It's good to finally welcome you into this very dysfunctional family."

"Uh..." Skyler drawled out.

"But, as your auntie pointed out, there is no time for lengthy introductions," Puck said, releasing the hand. "We have a major problem."

"Yes," Phoebe said.

"Titania is even now pleading Oberon for his aid, but Oberon cares not what happens to the humans." Luna said.

"Hmm," Puck said mockingly. "Yet he was so interested when young Alexander showed such magical promise."

"If Oberon were to get involved," Luna said tightly, "He would dispose of the halfling children."

"All of them," Phoebe said, looping an arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"There would be no exceptions," Selene said.

"Well," Puck said thoughtfully. "That does put a wrinkle in things."

"We have pleaded our case," Phoebe said. "Oberon was angry that I had left that forsaken barge where we were to protect Avalon to begin with, let alone that I had a child and lived as a human for a while."

"I can imagine," Puck said, grimacing. He had been on the receiving end of Oberon's wrath a time or two.

"So, if there's no help coming," Skyler asked, still trying to keep up in the conversation, "What are we going to do?"

"Not 'we'," Selene said. "This falls on your shoulders, niece."

"We foresaw this event many years ago," Luna admitted. "That is why we allowed Phoebe to have her child."

"We knew you would be special," Phoebe said, "And that you would be needed."

"Why, Phoebe," Puck said, acting shocked. "This is the first time I have seen you act so.." He seemed to search for an appropriate word, but settled on, "Human."

"It is natural for a mother to care for her child," Phoebe answered, frowning.

"Oh, please," Puck waved the comment away. "You three are the most emotionless witches I know."

"Do not push us, Puck," Selene warned.

"You are no longer our king's favored offspring," Luna added.

"Thus, you are no longer under his protection," Phoebe ended.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Big shocker there."

"Whoah," Skyler said, stepping in the middle of the angry group. "Can we just call a truce until this situation has been taken care of?"

"Fine," Puck said, pouting. "Take all the fun out of a good old fashioned family brawl."

"If you're not supposed to be here," Skyler said, turning to the trio of women, "Then why are you?"

"We need you able to fulfill your destiny," Luna said.

"And that is?" Phoebe said.

"You need to end this uprising," Selene said.

"And bring those you deem worthy back to Avalon," Phoebe finished.

"Those I deem worthy?" Skyler asked, incredulous.

"If there are none worthy of the honor," Selene said, "Then you bring none."

"How do I figure that out?" Skyler asked, growing angry. "And what about those that I don't think are 'worthy'?"

"Dispose of them," Selene said dispassionately.

"Oh. Just dispose of them? Is that all?" Skyler could hear the hysteria in her voice, but couldn't seem to help it.

Puck's head whipped up, cocked to the side as if he were listening to something that only he could hear. He let out a very un-Puck-like curse. "I am afraid that the battle has begun without me."

He disappeared in a blinding green flash.

"Skyler," Phoebe stepped forward to take her daughter's right hand in hers. "Do you know what your name stands for?"

"No," Skyler said softly.

Selene took Skyler's left hand. "It means Protection and shelter. We knew that you would face hardship, and as much as we wanted to spare you, it only made you stronger."

"In the end," Luna said, taking her sister's hands in hers, completing the circle, "You are the only one who can save us all."

A faint green light began to form around the four females, growing brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding. A wind blew the four women's hair, even though they were inside. Skyler closed her eyes in defense against the wind and the brightness of the light.

Suddenly, it all stopped, and she opened. She was alone in the suddenly dark hospital room.

"Mom?" Skyler called out, and received no reply.

She walked to the window, and stared in disbelief at the wreckage that lay before her. The city was a disaster. Buildings were missing pieces, windows broken out. Fires were raging everywhere, and the sky was darkened from all of the smoke and ash in the air.

Skyler turned, running for the elevators. She had to get to the castle, and find out what happened. She pressed the button once, twice, nothing.

Giving up, she ran for the emergency stairs. Up the few flights of stairs, and finally she burst through the door on the lowest floor of the castle.

She walked into a warzone. If she hadn't spent the day roaming these halls, she wouldn't have recognized where she was.

Navigating her way through all the the broken stone and rubble that littered the hallway, she made her way to the large great hall.

There, she found even more destruction. Whole sections of wall were missing, exposing even more glimpses out to the damaged landscape. After a look around, she saw nothing and no one there, so she fought her way to the courtyard.

She got to the doors in time for a loud, rapid sound of gunfire to split the air. There was a howl, a sound Skyler immediately knew as one of the Gargoyles.

Skyler put her weight into her effort, and managed to get the balcony doors opened enough for her to slip through.

After seeing what was on the other side, she wished she could go back in time and never see what lay before her.

A fae couple stood in the corner, looking dispassionately at the scene playing out before them. They were obviously very important, and very powerful , judging by the power she felt surrounding the two of them.

Puck was on the ground, injured, but kneeling before the powerful beings.

'So that's Oberon and Titania,' she thought. Turning to follow their gaze, she felt her breath catch in shock.

Goliath knelt in the opposite corner, a bleeding and limp Elisa in his arms. With great care, he got to his feet, cradling her gently to his chest.

Goliath turned in time for Oberon to call up a portal back to Avalon. Together, Oberon and Titania walked toward it.

"Wait," Goliath called out.

"Wait?" asked Oberon, turning on him. The familiar arrogant expression had returned to his features, as he stared at the gargoyle in disapproval. "You dare much, Goliath, to give orders to us."

"Elisa is dying!" cried Goliath. "Save her! You have the power to do so."

"We feel your grief, Goliath," said Titania. "But the law of the Far forbids us to interfere in the affairs of mortals."

"That's never stopped you before," Puck pointed out.

"That was true in the past," Titania admitted emotionlessly. "But we can not interfere in the destiny of the humans. If it is meant to be that this woman was to perish here, at this place and time, then that is how it should be."

"Elisa will die," Goliath spat out. "She put herself between danger and your grandchildren."

"Yes, she saved them" Titania said, sadly. "Yet no one could save the rest of their family."

Skyler felt her chest tighten. Fox and David? Dead?

"Or _our_ son," Goliath snarled, his eyes glowing a pure white.

"For that, I am truly sorry," Titania said.

Skyler covered her mouth to stifle the sob. Liam? Something had happened to Liam?

Oberon reached for his wife's hand, leading her through the portal and away from the wreckage.

Goliath stood in the courtyard, staring in disbelief as the portal closed behind them, his love held in his arms.

Goliath bent his head, touching his forehead to hers, his shoulders starting to shake. Slowly, he fell to his knees and laid Elisa on the ground. He straightened her red jacket collar, and ran a taloned hand through her hair to smooth it back from her still, pale face.

Then he lifted his tear stained face and roared his anguish to the heavens.


	18. Chapter 18

With a jolt, Skyler came back to herself with a gasp. She was once again in the small hospital room, holding the hands of her mother and her aunts.

It had all been a… what? A hallucination? A dream?

"What was.." She began shakily.

"A vision," Luna stated matter of factly. "The same one that we foresaw many years ago."

"One that we have tried our best to prevent," Phoebe said. "One that the only way we could combat with, was a halfling child who would be powerful enough to protect Oberon's heir and his family."

"One who could stop the half blood whelps from destroying everything on this isle of steel and stone," Selen added. "And expose the existence of those like us."

"One who would, ultimately, save Avalon," Phoebe finished.

"Me?" Skyler asked in disbelief. "But I have no powers."

"You have power," Luna said.

"And you are strong," Selene said.

"And you will be able to do what is necessary." Phoebe said, proudly.

"What is necessary?" Skyler asked dumbly. "What does that mean?"

The sisters dropped their hands, breaking the link, and began backing away from Skyler.

"You will know, when the time is right," Luna said.

"And you will have the strength to fight," Selene said.

"You will do what must be done," Phoebe said.

"Hurry now, the battle has begun," They chanted as one voice.

With those final words, they vanished.

"Seriously?" Skyler asked the empty room. Quietly, then at a near shout, " **Seriously**? You disappear from my life for six years, and when you show up again, you leave me with a stupid rhyme? What are you, the lost children of Dr. Seuss?"

Skyler reached out and kicked the small waste basket.

They couldn't even tell her what to do? Nooo… that would be too damned easy.

She was still trying to figure out what to do next, when the sound of voices in the hall outside her door reached her ears.

"Check every room," a male voice commanded. "They could be hiding anywhere."

Skyler frantically looked around the room for a place to hide. Not many places looked promising, but luckily, she was small and it wouldn't take much.

She ran over to the laundry bin in the corner. It was a large yellow canvas bag, meant to be able to be removed and taken away by the laundering facility in one piece and tied with the drawstring around the top of the bag.

Skyler grabbed the top layer of towels and bedding out of the sack, crawled in and arranged the soiled linens on top of her.

She stopped moving as she heard the door open, carefully monitoring her breathing so as to not give herself away.

There were bangs and clangs as the intruder searched the room. Soon enough, the person gave up, leaving the room. The heavy hinged door automatically closed behind them.

Skyler stayed where she was for a few more minutes to ensure that no one else was going to come through the door.

Finally, as the noise and voices drifted away into the silence, Skyler climbed out of the laundry receptacle. She padded to the door on silent, bare feet, and put her ear to the door to try to listen for voices.

There were none. Whoever had been looking had given up.

Skyler looked around the room in despair. The room had been trashed. Medical supplies and instruments were strewn across the room, entire cabinets had been emptied. The small closet had also been rummaged through, the few clothing articles that had survived the first attack on her were now mixed in with everything on the floor.

Carefully, Skyler picked through the items, and finally located her canvas slipon shoes. Once they were on her feet, Skyler exited the room.

The building was under attack again. Skyler looked at the windows, and realized that it was sometime in the later afternoon, but that the sun was still in the sky.

The Gargoyles wouldn't be able to help them, unless the humans were able to hold them off until the sun went down.

Skyler hurried to Dr. James' office, and quietly shut the door behind her. Grabbing the office phone from the desk, Skyler hid underneath and dialed the listed castle extension.

"Dr. James," Came Fox's voice. "I thought you were gone for the…"

"Fox," Skyler broke in urgently. "They're back. The halflings are back. They were just here on the medical floor, and I think they are on their way up."

"Skyler?" Fox asked, uncertainly. "How…?"

"Fox," Skyler said firmly. "You have to take the children. All of them. Take the children, and hide. Keep them safe."

"Okay," Fox said, amazingly calm in light of what was unfolding around them. "I will take care of the kids. Are you safe?"

"I woke up just before they came into my room, and hid. Now I am locked in Dr. James' office."

"I will send someone for you," She swore.

"Don't worry about me," Skyler insisted. "Get the kids out."

"Alright," Fox answered briskly. "Be safe."

The line went dead in Skyler's hands. Carefully, Skyler lowered her hand and set the handset on the ground beside her.

She was still trying to figure out what to do next when the office door opened with such force, that it hit the wall. Skyler tried to make herself as small as possible under the desk.

"She has to be somewhere," A familiar male voice said. "She was paralyzed from the waist down an hour ago when I looked in on her."

"Dr. James," Skyler said with relief.

The frantic movements in the office stopped. "Skyler?"

Slowly, Skyler unfolded herself, and crawled out from under the desk.

"Skyler," Dr. James said with obvious relief. "What is going on?"

"I woke up," She said awkwardly. "Someone was yelling in the hallway, and so I hid. When he left, I came in here to call the castle to warn them."

"Okay," Dr. James said. He held down a hand to help her to her feet. "Did you get a hold of someone up there?"

"Yeah," Skyler said, handing him the headset. "But the line went dead."

"Damn," Dr. James said. "I'll call the police."

"What about the employees on the lower floors?" Skyler asked.

"Most are probably gone for the day," he responded, glancing at his watch.

"Most, but not all," Kiersten said, walking in to the office.

"I have an idea," Skyler said. "You two need to leave while you can."

"What if one of you needs medical attention?" Kiersten asked. "You needed us last time…" She took in the appearance of the young woman in front of her, "although you'd never know it from the look of you."

"Long story," Skyler said.

"And we don't have enough time to hear it right now," Dr. James said briskly. He dialed for 911 and began relaying information.

"I have an idea," Skyler said. "You both should get out now. If you can't leave, hide."

With that, she ran past the elevators and to the emergency stairs. Beside the stairwell, there was an emergency fire alarm pull. Skyler dove for it, and yanked the white lever down.

Instantly, alarms blared and the lights began to flash. A calm woman's voice began asking people to please exit through the stairwells to safety.

Skyler then made her way into the stairwell, and began the arduous task of going up the flights of stairs to the castle. She had done this a short while ago, in the vision, and she was terrified of what she was going to find at the top.

She hesitated a moment at the top, before slowly opening the door into the castle. Even though she was unable to see anyone, the sounds of fighting enveloped her. Shouting, screaming and weapons firing assaulted her ears and fired her determination to help.

"Okay, mom," she muttered to herself, choosing to go in the direction of the great hall. "Now would be a great time for you and your crazy sisters to make sense."

Sticking close to the walls, Skyler made her way slowly. One step at a time, prepared for an attack that could come from anywhere, she was finally able to see into the large room.

A pair of dark skinned, dark haired girls were fighting, hand to hand with Brooklyn. He was holding his own for the moment, but in a two against one fight, he was having to split his attention.

Skyler rushed forward, grabbed a heavy statuette, and switched her hold on it so that she was able to swing it easily. The heavy base connected with one of the girls' back, causing the girl to hit the floor.

The other girl whirled around angrily, taking her attention for a moment from the Gargoyle she had been fighting.

Her mistake.

Skyler was prepared to swing again, when Brooklyn brought his arms up from behind the girl, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Skyler!" He said, finally taking in the sight of the person who had helped him. "Thanks."

"Are you ok?" Skyler asked, a bit winded.

"I'm fine," He reassured her. "I'm just going to wrap things up with these two, and we can go help elsewhere."

Brooklyn dragged the squirming female over to a nearby displayed suit of armor. He tucked the girl under one arm like a football, wrenching the torso from the suit and shoving the girl into it. Using his strength, he pinched the tube around the girl so she would be out of commission, but unhurt.

The girl that Skyler had taken out didn't fare any better as Brooklyn tore strips of the metal off, and used them to bind the fallen fae's hands and feet.

"There," he said, making the motion as if he were dusting off his hands. He gave Skyler a startled look, as if just realizing who had helped him. "Are you okay? How…"

"I'll explain later," Skyler cut his questions off. "Where are the others?" She asked.

"All over," Brooklyn admitted. "They swarmed the castle, then split up so that we would have to split up too."

"They're after the kids," Skyler told him in a rush. "Go keep them safe, and I'll try to find the others."

Brooklyn looked unsure about leaving her, but in the end, he nodded. He hurried over to a small wooden chest on the fireplace mantle. Lifting the lid, he removed a small white earpiece. "Alright, but you wear this, and call us if you need help."

Skyler put in the earpiece, and was instantly assailed with the clamor of the battle around her. Voices, some familiar and some not, rang in her ear.

Skyler was trying to figure out where everyone was, and waved Brooklyn off.

Giving up, but keeping the earpiece in case she needed help, she tucked the small earpiece in her gown's tight neckline. If she got out of this, she was totally going to bring up the lack of pockets with her mother and aunts.

The shouts and fighting seemed to be coming from the courtyard more clearly than anywhere else, so Skyler headed out there.

The sky seemed full of Steel versions of the gargoyle clan as they flew around the castle firing down into the fighting.

The courtyard was littered with broken stone and a few more of the steel clan's broken husks.

Hudson was fighting an older male who was also armed with a sword. The metal on metal strikes ringing clearly over the rest of the fighting.

Goliath was taking on a pair of males, and like Brooklyn, he was holding his own.

A gunshot rang out in the night, and Skyler looked up to see Elisa struggling to keep a hold of her service weapon as an unknown woman was trying to take it from her.

Lexington dove from above, knocking the woman away long enough for Elisa to once more take control of the weapon.

A strong hand landed on Skyler's arm, making her jump in fright before she was forcibly turned to face the halfling behind her. If anything, she was more scared now.

She looked into the face of the young man who had almost beaten her to death.


	19. Chapter 19

"Look who it is," came the menacing voice. "If it isn't our little traitor."

Skyler tried to jerk away, only to back up into another set of strong arms behind her. Skyler turned to face the new foe. He was a younger man than the first guy. Strong, but obviously not the leader. He had a full head of reddish brown hair and a face full of freckles that probably made him appear younger than her really was.

She slapped a hand at her chest, trying to play the distraught female and found it wasn't much of a stretch.

Okay, so it wasn't acting, really. She was frightened, but she also needed to get at that communicator that she'd stashed there.

"What do you want?" She asked, shakily.

 _There._ She sneakily managed to get the small communicator out and with a twitch of her fingers, she flipped it on.

"We don't need you now," The older male said. Skyler turned her attention back to him.

"What do you mean?" Skyler asked, afraid that she already knew.

"We have Titania's grandsons," The man sneered. "You would have made the process so much easier, but you chose to stand with the humans and monsters."

"You're trying to contact Oberon, right?" Skyler asked desperately. She pretended to sweep her hair behind her ear, managing to get the earpiece in place.

"We want to take our rightful place on Avalon," He snarled back. "He took his own 'children' back, and left us all to fend for ourselves in a world where we don't belong."

"How did you find out about what you are?" Skyler asked, trying to keep him talking. "Because I had no idea until recently."

"My mother contacted me," He said, eyes gleaming. "She taught me what I needed to know to control my power, and what I needed to do to get Oberon's attention. He could care less about us, but he bows to Titania's will. I am the one who started gathering more of the Children of the Fae, and brought them here to take Titania's daughter and grandchildren. She won't be able to ignore that."

" _Skyler, are you alright?"_ Brooklyn said in her ear.

"No, I guess not," Skyler said, trying her best to calm herself down. She was trying to balance out answering Brooklyn and making this guy think she was turning to his way of thinking. "I can understand wanting that, too. I was twelve years old when my mother disappeared, and spent my life bouncing in and out of foster homes. I didn't belong anywhere, and couldn't figure out why."

The mad gleam in the man's eyes began to fade. Good.

" _Skyler?"_ Brooklyn asked again, uncertainty reverberating in his voice.

"What's your name?" Skyler asked, doing her best to block the sound of fighting behind her.

"Blake," He said, the question seemed to have caught him by surprise.

"Blake, I'm Skyler," She held out her hand in a mild mannered greeting. After he shook her hand, she fought the urge to wipe her hand on the skirt of her dress. "There's an easier way than this, you know," She hinted, "to contact Titania."

He looked at her suspiciously. "What's that?"

"First, you need the kids alive," Skyler said, matter of factly. "Titania won't do anything without those kids."

"That was the plan," He said darkly.

"Okay," Skyler said with a smile. "Just making sure that I'm on the same page. You also can't hurt the Gargoyles."

"Like hell," the younger man behind her spat out.

"Seriously," Skyler said, acting all wide-eyed innocent. "She and Oberon like them enough that they put them in charge of the grandchildren here."

He seemed to think about that. "I guess you have a point. We will leave them as untouched as possible."

"Let me talk to them," She insisted. "They know and trust me. Maybe I can get them to back off, as long as no one is hurt."

"Fine," Blake snarled. "You have five minutes to prove it to me."

"Alright," Skyler said. "I'll meet you back here in five minutes." With that, she turned and ran. She almost ran head first into a very angry Brooklyn in the hallway outside the Great Hall.

"Where are they?" He snarled fiercely.

"They're in there," Skyler whispered frantically. "Brooklyn, you need to help me."

He turned to look at her then, and seemed to calm down. "Do you have any ideas on how to stop this?"

"I might," Skyler said, hesitantly. "More like I have an idea on how to get the kids to safety, and let the grownups fight without having to worry about the young ones."

"That will work," He said angrily. "What's the plan?"

"Bring me the kids. All of them," She stressed. "Alex, Christopher, Liam and the twins. Bring them to the Great Hall. I will protect them, I swear, but I need you to talk the rest of the clan, Elisa and the Xanatos' into pretending to give up. Just gather everyone in the courtyard, and be ready to move. If my plan works, it's going to happen fast."

"Okay," Brooklyn nodded. He raised a taloned finger to tap the device in his ear, "Did everyone hear that?"

"Yes," Goliath said slowly. "I do not like it, however."

"I know," Skyler responded, "But I don't have time to explain. They only gave me five minutes to try to end this without bloodshed."

"What choice do we have, lad?" Hudson huffed out, sounding tired. "We cannae keep this up."

"He's right," Skyler said. "I had a dream, or a vision, or whatever it was, and a lot of you didn't make it through this. I am trying to avoid that happening."

"Alright," Goliath said, reluctantly. "Everyone, meet in the courtyard."

"I'll get the kids," Brooklyn said.

"And the Xanatos'?" Skyler said. "And Owen, not Puck. Not puck _yet_." she corrected.

"We'll take care of it," Elisa called into the earpiece. "I just hope this works."

"Me too, Elisa," Skyler admitted.

Turning, Skyler made her way back to the hall to let Blake know that she had been successful in her 'task'.


	20. Chapter 20

Skyler returned to the Great Hall to give Blake the good news. Several more of the Halflings had joined them by that time.

"It's done," Skyler called out. "They'll stand down."

"Good," Blake said, giving her a nod. "I'm sorry that we were so hard on you last time. You are turning out to be quite the handy helper."

Skyler seethed on the inside. "Yeah, that wasn't fun."

"How did you heal so quickly?" the younger man asked.

"I've always been a fast healer," Skyler said, keeping her voice light and even. "Maybe that's my special power?"

"Maybe," Blake said, thoughtfully. "Do you have any idea who your fae parent is?"

"No," Skyler lied.

"Well, no matter," Blake waved the question away. "It doesn't matter. Welcome to the club."

Skyler had her back slapped and greeted like a long-lost relative. It sickened her, but she endured it all with a smile plastered on her face.

"The Gargoyles are landing," came a voice from the open terrace doors.

Skyler looked out and, indeed, the clan were landing in the open courtyard. Both Hudson and Lexington had to be helped, seemingly hurt. Her heart was aching for them, and hoped that it was an act. They would still be needed if all went the way that she hoped.

"And here are the kids," Said one of the females, pointing to where Brooklyn was leading them in. Brenna carried Liam, Alex carried Christopher and Connor was holding Brooklyn's hand.

Skyler let out a breath. They were still alive and safe. Now she had to keep them that way. Smiling, Skyler walked forward to the kids and knelt down in front of them. "Hey kiddos, we're going to play a game, okay?"

Alex looked at her, eyes that were too old for his age searching hers. He seemed to find what he was looking for, and nodded.

"Okay," Skyler breathed. Her plan relied heavily on Alex's cooperation.

Elisa entered the room then, arms raised in a gesture of surrender. David, Fox and Owen followed, their arms raised as well.

The group of halflings broke up to surround the humans, forcing them to their knees.

Skyler spared a look at Goliath, and saw him make a move as if to get up to protect Elisa. She caught his eyes and shook her head.

He was still growling low in his throat, but stayed where he was.

Skyler turned back to the children.

"Alex," She said softly, "Do you remember how to call your grandma through the mirror?"

Alex nodded.

"Good," Skyler said, smiling at the boy. "That's what we're going to do. We're going to call your grandma again, ok?"

Alex nodded, and walked to the large mirror in the corner. Skyler herded the other children along behind him until they were all standing at the mirror.

Alex passed Christopher to Connor, so that he could use both hands.

In a surprisingly clear voice, Alex repeated the words that had been taught to him:

"Mirror to see, Mirror to know,

Mirror to help the power to flow,

Mirror absorb, reflect my gaze,

Show me the truth within your glaze.

Show me the future, show me the past,

All that is hidden, revealed at last.

Mirror, Mirror, display for me

My Queen Titania whom I desire to see!"

The glass began to glow green at the edges, and finally cleared to show Titania sitting next to Oberon in the Throne room.

"Who disturbs Us," Oberon demanded.

"Alex," Titania said, surprised. "Why do you call this time?"

Skyler reached out with her own hand and placed it on the surface of the mirror. She concentrated and the surface began to ripple.

"Get ready," Skyler said softly.

"Grandma, bad people are here," Alex said, solemnly.

"They are there?" Titania asked, getting to her feet. "Are you injured? Where is your mother? Where is Puck?"

"Now!" Skyler shouted, and with all her strength, she swept her free arm out and shoved all five children through the mirror's rippling surface and across the realm into the courtroom in Avalon.

As soon as she removed her hand, the ripples stopped, and the glass only reflected the room behind her.

The clan jumped into action then, taking on as many of the halflings as they could. Elisa, David, and Fox jumped up to join in the battle.

With a great spectacle, Owen changed in midair to reveal Puck the trickster.

"You traitor," Blake roared, charging at Skyler. Out of seemingly nowhere, he had a blade in his hand, and plunged it into Skyler's belly.

The burning and tearing sensation as the blade buried itself among muscle and internal organs caused Skyler's breath to hitch sharply. Blake's forward momentum driving them both into the mirror, shattering it into pieces.

Brooklyn appeared with a roar, driving his shoulder into Blake, and knocking him off of Skyler.

Without Blake there to keep her up, Skyler clasped her hands around the hilt of the dagger as she collapsed to her knees.

Around her, the world went hazy, with nothing but the sounds of fighting going on around her.

A sudden rush of power hit her, and just as suddenly she could breathe. She felt the dagger in her hand, but no longer felt the pain.

She got to her feet, and her clearing vision took in the battle.

"Enough," She said, softly at first, then at a roar of her own. "Enough."

Her vision took on a greenish tint as her newly discovered fae powers took hold, giving her the strength and knowledge of just what had to be done. She pulled out the dagger, letting it drop unheeded to the ground and raised both hands toward the sky. In a near shout, she chanted the words that sprang to her mind.

" _ **Fae by blood, but not in deed**_

 _ **Acting in want, not in need**_

 _ **Here I stand, ready to fight**_

 _ **High above the city this night**_

 _ **Here at the witching hour**_

 _ **I call upon Avalon's power**_

 _ **By the fate's right, a debt to be paid**_

 _ **I call Oberon and his children to come to our aid.**_

As the last word passed her lips, the room had been enveloped in faerie green light. She saw her mother, her aunts, and several others that she assumed were more of Oberon's Children, as they appeared in a ring around them all.

Almost immediately, the fighting stopped as everyone took in what was happening.

A tall couple appeared at either side of Skyler, and moved past her into the fray.

"My Lord," Blake called out, stumbling towards them.

"Silence," Oberon commanded, and with a wave of his hand all of the halflings had frozen in place. "I have had enough of this."

The gargoyles, Puck and humans who knew better, all knelt to one knee and remained silent.

"All the fighting in my court, the whining of my children and now to have human and gargoyle children forced upon me through my own mirror," Oberon yelled in his commanding voice. "Someone had best give me an explanation."

Titania walked forward then, holding out a hand to help Fox to her feet. "Now, then, daughter. Explain."

"Mother," Fox bowed her head in the expected deference to be shown the faerie queen… especially in front of Oberon. "We spoke a short time ago about those we had found out who were half fae, like myself."

"Yes," Titania said.

"They have powers," Fox pointed out. "Enough to get by our security systems. They attacked us in an effort to gain your highnesses attentions."

"They did, did they," Oberon scowled. "And why would they want my attention?"

"For that, you will have to ask them yourself," Fox said. "We were simply trying to defend ourselves."

"Very well," Oberon scowled. He waved a hand toward Blake, and he fell in a very unceremonious heap to the ground. "Speak."

"Oberon, sir," Blake began, all of his smooth confidence seeming to have vanished.

"Your highness," the ring of Fae around the room corrected him at once.

"Y.. Your highness," Blake stumbled over his own words. "We wish to take a place on Avalon with you. We don't belong here among the _humans_."

"You think you do not, do you," Oberon said harshly. "You think I should give you a place in my kingdom?"

"We are one of you," Blake said, his anger starting to show once more. "We are Fae."

"You are more human than fae," Oberon said dismissively. "Nothing more than mongrels who happen to have certain abilities that reflect my court. Weak powers that would be completely washed away within one or two generations of human breeding. Nothing more."

Blake did not speak, but his face reflected the pure rage that he was feeling.

"And who is your parent?" Titania asked. "Look around and point them out to us. Who is responsible for awakening such knowledge and powers within you so that you would attack those that we hold dear."

"I don't.." Blake began.

"Point them out," Oberon comanded with a wave of his hand, "And let us be done with this."

Blake's face went blank, as Oberon's command took away any of his free will that remained. Slowly, his arm raised, and he pointed to a defeated looking female.

"Morgana," Oberon drew the name out slowly. "This is your son, causing all of this disruption?"

"Yes, your highness," Morgana said, her head hung low.

"You are the one who ignored my edict to remove ourselves from the humans?" Oberon roared.

"He is my child," Morgana wailed. "I wanted my child."

"You _are_ a child, and are in need of punishment for your irresponsible actions," Oberon responded. "You are to go back to Avalon, and await my ruling on this."

Morgana looked as if she wanted to argue, but wisely held her tongue. With a raise of her arms, she disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Blake was released from whatever spell had been holding him. He looked around, and not seeing his mother, he roared, "No!". His hand shot out and a ball of green flame shot out towards the Faerie King and Queen.

Puck lifted his hand and waved the Fae shot away. "Now, now. No one is allowed to shoot spitwads at the king." Puck said, gleefully.

"Thank you, Puck," Oberon said.

Puck bowed at the waist.

Blake, realizing that his attack had failed, seemed to slump in his kneeling state. He was outnumbered and defeated. None of his people were willing or able to help him.

"Now for you," Oberon said. "You have already proven that you are unable to control yourself, nor can you be trusted to wield such a gift."

Blake looked stunned. "What are you going to…"

Oberon wave his hand, and it was done. Skyler felt the powers surrounding the halflings around her simply disappear, as if they never were.

"Now you will have to live without them, and without Avalon," Oberon said. He looked to Goliath then, "I assume you will be able to handle it from here?"

"Yes, your highness," Goliath said, bowing his head in acknowledgment.

"Good," Oberon said. "Now, if my queen would be so kind as to return what was foisted upon us?"

"As you wish," Titania said. She brought her arms gracefully into the air and opened a glowing green portal.

"Mama!" Alex Xanatos cried and he dashed through the portal, his little brother in his arms.

"Alex!" Fox cried, dashing forward to scoop her children up. "Christopher!"

David hurried forward to gather his family close.

Connor came through first, leading his sister by hand close behind him.

Angela and Broadway called their names and rushed forward to embrace their children.

Elisa got to her feet, looking desperately at the portal. "Where's Liam?" She asked, desperately. Goliath rose to his feet as well, anger on his face.

"Where is our son?" he demanded.

" _Our_ son?" Oberon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Elisa said, her chin raising, her eyes burning in her anger. "Liam is _**our**_ son."

"Now, husband," Titania said softly, placing her hand on his arm. "We really do not need another human on Avalon. And all this is doing is angering those we count on to protect Alex."

"Very well," Oberon said. "Fix the mirror, would you, my queen?"

"My pleasure," Titania said. She casually waved her hand, and all of the shattered pieces of the mirror reassembled themselves.

With a final wave, Titania called up a picture of a familiar older woman who was rocking Liam in an old rocking chair.

"Katherine!" Elisa said, relieved.

Katherine, formerly the princess of Castle Wyvern, looked up from her chair. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Katherine, it's Elisa," Elisa said, approaching the mirror.

"Oh, Elisa!" Katherine got up from the rocking chair. "I hope you don't mind, but your son was upset after showing up here, so I took him to rock him a bit."

"No, no, it's fine," Elisa reassured her. "I was just really worried when he didn't come back with the rest of the kids."

"Oh, Elisa, I am so sorry," Katherine said sincerely. "I didn't know that they had gone already."

"Thank you," Goliath said, stepping close to his wife, "for taking care of Liam."

"Oh, you're welcome," Katherine said, giving Liam a final cuddle. "It has been too long since we have had little ones here."

Titania reached through the mirror, and took the contented child from Katherine's arms. Gently, she withdrew her arms and the baby through the glass. She turned and handed the baby back to a very anxious Elisa.

"I would suggest," Oberon said, tightly, "That you do something about these children before they run amok elsewhere."


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh, they will be dealt with," Xanatos said in a dark monotone. I was the kind of tone that didn't hint at danger… it _promised_ it. "Luckily, I have an NYPD officer here, who can recommend a whole list of charges to be brought on these _kids_ that will keep them busy for a long time."

"Might I suggest breaking and entering, attempted kidnapping, destruction of private property and assault on an officer?" Elisa gave a grim smile. "The home invasion and kidnapping is a minimum of ten years behind bars by themselves."

"That sounds like a good start." David responded.

"Want me to call it in?" Elisa offered.

"Please."

"I'm on it," Elisa said, pulling her cell phone from her jeans pocket. She called Captain Maria Chavez to arrange for officers to come and pick up the suspects.

"What about the girl?" three familiar voices chanted as one.

"The girl?" Oberon said, turning to look at Skyler. "Oh, yes."

For the first time since the fighting had begun, Elisa took a good look at Skyler.

Skyler stood straight and still, her blood stained hands still held out from her body to the sides, staring ahead blankly. There was still a hole in her gown, and even though the blood had not spread outside of a small red ring around the injury site, Elisa had a bad feeling that was not a good sign.

"Skyler?" Elisa asked, passing off Liam to Goliath. Slowly, so as not to startle her, Elisa walked towards the small female. "Skyler, can you hear me?"

Skyler didn't even blink.

"We have put her in a state," Titania said. "She is in a dream state, until we know what we are going to do about her."

"What you're going to do about her?" Elisa asked in disbelief. "She risked her life to save your grandchildren. Twice."

"I am aware, detective," Titania said. "She has also shown the most control over her powers. She shows the most promise to being an asset to those on Avalon."

Elisa grit her teeth. "So you would just take her? Not give her a choice?"

"Of course, she has a choice," Oberon said. "But who would turn down a chance to live in Avalon?"

"Someone who was raised as a human with free will," Elisa said softly, turning to face Oberon. She was holding on to her temper that was threatening to come to the surface. "She wasn't raised like your children. You took the others' powers, can't you take hers too, and leave her here?"

"Having someone else here, an ally to the Gargoyles and the family, would not be a horrible thing." Titania placed a gentle, coaxing hand on Oberon's arm. "Take her powers if you must, and let us be on our way."

Oberon smiled down at his wife, the only time he softened his expression. "Why am I unable to deny you anything?" He straightened up, his face going impassive once more. "As you wish," he said.

With a wave of his hand, an almost imperceptible green haze seemed to rise off of Skyler's form and disappeared in the wind like a puff of smoke.

Once her powers had been extracted, Skyler collapsed limply into a heap to the ground.

Elisa hurried to the fallen woman's side, placing her hands over the wound in an effort to keep Skyler from bleeding out.

"There," Oberon said with some finality. "It is done."

"Then let us go home," Titania said with a smile.

Together, the Fae royal couple vanished in the night.

"Elisa," Goliath said, placing his hands on her shoulders where she knelt on the stone courtyard.

Elisa looked up at her husband. Liam wasn't with him.

"Liam?" She asked, a sudden feeling of panic rising.

"Liam is being taken care of," Goliath assured her. "Hudson took him and will watch over him."

Elisa nodded. She would check on him herself later, but for now, she could only press her hands against Skyler's bloody stomach. "David," Elisa called out, issuing orders like a seasoned general, "Call Matt. Tell him to bring backup and have them haul these kids away."

"Already in the works," David assured her.

"Someone call Dr. James," Elisa called over her shoulder at the crowd at large. "He needs to help with Skyler and anyone else who was injured."

"We're alright, lass," Hudson assured her. "Dinnae worry about us."

"Yeah," Lexington chimed in. "A day's rest, and we'll be good as new."

Elisa nodded absently. Where was that damn doctor, she wondered, in her frustration forgetting that she actually liked the man.

As if her thoughts had conjured him, he was suddenly kneeling beside Elisa, an old fashioned, black leather doctor's bag beside him.

"Move," He barked out, all business.

Elisa blinked and moved her hands from where they had been held over the bloody hole that the dagger had left in Skyler's gown.

He had sounded so impressive with that single word, that she was… well… kind of impressed.

Dr. James grabbed the fallen dagger that had done the damage, and used it to widen the hole in the gown, exposing her abdomen. Shoving the cut fabric aside, he moved his hands with a professional determination to locate the injury and do his best to save this young woman. Like Elisa, he was worried about just how little blood was on the outside of her gown. Lack of blood outside was a good indication of internal bleeding.

"Where is it?" he muttered, hands still moving quickly. Reaching in the bag with one hand, he grabbed a large, sealed container of gauze. Using his teeth to grab the 'easy open' tab, he took a hand full of the large gauze squares and swiftly cleared away the blood from her skin.

"I can't find it," He muttered.

Elisa leaned forward, frowning. "She was stabbed. We all saw it."

"I can see that something happened," He said, sounding mystified. "There is blood and a hole in her gown."

"Ooookay," Elisa drawled out, confused.

"There's no wound," Dr. James proclaimed, sitting back on his heels.

As if on cue, Skyler gave a deep gasp as if she'd been holding her breath for too long. Her back bowed in the effort to draw in air, raising her body in an almost painful arch off of the stone courtyard's floor, her eyes opening wide and looking side to side in panic.

Elisa took hold of one shoulder with the doctor on the other, as they hurried to assure her that she was safe.

Skyler's body lowered to the ground, but she was still panting,. She felt as if she couldn't get enough air.

Brooklyn knelt beside her, gently taking one of her hands in his. "Skye," He said softly, "You're okay. It's over."

Skyler gripped his taloned hand tightly, her gaze zeroing in to focus solely on his face. After a moment, she gasped out, "The children?"

"They're fine," He reassured her. "They're back, and safe."

Skyler looked at Elisa then for confirmation, sighing when the dark haired woman nodded her own assurances.

Skyler closed her eyes and concentrated on calming her breathing. "It's over?"

"Yes," Goliath said in his deep, rumbling voice. "It is over."


	22. Chapter 22

Two weeks after the attack, life had gone to something resembling normal.

The now powerless halflings had all been arrested for various charges. All were over the age of 18, so they were being held and tried as adults.

Elisa had been allowed to sit in on a few of the questioning sessions, out of professional courtesy since her son was one of the children who had been in harm's way. She'd been behind the two way mirror of course, but for the most part they were all keeping quiet.

Not that she could blame them. If even one of them were to tell the truth, they'd probably end up institutionalized and heavily medicated. It was bad enough that they were going to be locked up for a good long while, but being treated as if they were insane would be the worst thing for them. They knew the truth, but to admit the full truth to anyone outside of those who knew of the Fae was to invite disaster.

And so, they remained silent, not even speaking to the public defenders who had been assigned their cases.

The story was fading from public memory, and that was just fine with Elisa. She was still being approached by strangers about the story of her finding Liam. All she needed was more curious people trying to ferret out information about that night at the castle.

Thankfully, Skyler, despite being repeatedly placed in harm's way, opted to remain where she was. She finally seemed comfortable enough, that she had actually painted her bedroom a pale blue and had even hung a few small decorative pictures. It was a little thing, but something that she had never felt settled enough to do before now.

Skyler was powerless now, but since she'd only really had them one night, she didn't miss them. She spent the days watching over Liam while Elisa slept, and most nights at the castle with the clan.

More specifically, she was spending more and more time with Brooklyn.

Elisa chuckled the night that she realized that Skyler and Brooklyn were getting so close. Perhaps her and Goliath's relationship would open up options for the clan as far as companionship that they hadn't thought was before.

She was just waiting for Brooklyn and Skyler to catch up with what everyone else had already seen.

Elisa couldn't help but to wonder if that was what the clan had done for Goliath and her. Had they just stood back and waited? Had they known what was between them before they had?

'Probably,' Elisa thought with a smile, remembering how she had once fought what she had felt. They both had, really, but they had ended up where they needed to be, despite all the twists and turns to get there.

Elisa was leaning one shoulder on the wall surrounding her condo's courtyard, watching as the last of the sun's light faded from the sky with a final colorful splash against the few remaining clouds.

Goliath would awaken soon.

In a few hours, Elisa would have to report in to work for the night with the knowledge that Goliath and the rest of the clan would be near by.

After work, she would be able to go to the castle, and be able to surround herself with her friends and family.

Her husband and child.

She still wasn't sure about the accusation of her being a part fae. After this much time, she wasn't even sure how to find out. It's not as if some past relative of hers would have left a diary entry about it, or even told anyone that they'd had an affair with a stranger that would be a clue as to the beginning of her Fae lineage.

She had never had any powers, or at least none that she'd known of. Before leaving, Oberon had taken all of the halfling's powers, so any chance that Elisa could have developed something useful at some point was gone.

Could you miss or regret the loss of something that you never even knew that you had?

Maybe, Elisa admitted. It would have been a lot better if she had never even known it was a possibility, but now that she knew…

Well, the possibilities were endless.

Elisa smiled and chuckled to herself. She loved her life and where she was right now. Change one thing about her past, and who knows where she would be now? If she'd grown up with powers, she might have joined up with that bunch of young idiots in the jail and been in a cell right next to them.

No. She would rather be here, on the top of a large building in Manhattan, waiting for her husband to wake for the night. He would come and hold her then. He would spend time with their son. He would continue to lead the small clan of Gargoyles. He would protect this island, this city, and all who live on it.

And she would be by his side, helping him in any way that she could, magical or not.

Elisa smiled into the night. She spotted Goliath's familiar form on the horizon, silhouetted against the bright sphere that was the moon.

No.

She wouldn't change a thing.


End file.
